


An Unusual Mating

by zelico



Category: Naruto
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Kinky, Modern AU, Out of Character, Werewolf AU, abo undertones, it's a werewolf au how in character do you expect them to be
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:34:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26412727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zelico/pseuds/zelico
Summary: Sakura is an early 20s CNA who stumbles across an injured man on her way home from work. In her attempt to help him, she gets fatally wounded by his attacker.Sasuke is a werewolf from Konoha focused on getting revenge on his brother for his clan's massacre. When the pink haired woman nearly loses her life foolishly trying to help him, he does the only thing he can think of to save her - he bites her, planting a soul-bonding mate mark on her.The big problem - it's dangerous for humans to be mated to a werewolves. So they try to figure out how to remove the mate mark. But in the time they try to find out how to remove it, the bond continues to grow stronger between the two of them.~~~Inspired byCherry Blossoms in the Wild.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 20
Kudos: 146





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Cherry Blossoms In The Wild](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20360386) by [mermaid_memes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mermaid_memes/pseuds/mermaid_memes). 



> Thanks so much to UselessSacredPillow for tracking down the fic that inspired my story!

22 year old Sakura was glad to be leaving work for the day. As a certified nursing assistant, she didn't absolutely hate her job, but she didn't love it either. Working at an assisted living facility paid the bills, and she chose to be thankful for that. Living in a new city with a new roommate was supposed to be an adventure, but it was turning out to be a bit of a let down. She had moved there to get away from home, where she was constantly reminded of her deceased parents whom she desperately missed.

It was only early evening, and it was still light and sunny outside. So she felt safe taking the shortcut through the alley to meet her roommate in the parking of the college library a few blocks from the facility she worked at. She had yet to buy a car, and her roommate generously agreed to pick her up on the days her school schedule lined up with her work schedule.

But today, as she passed through the alley between large, brick buildings, she was stopped when she heard labored breathing nearby. It sounded like someone was in pain. She looked around trying to find the source. When she looked behind one of the three dumpsters lining the pathway, she saw a bloodied man with spiky black hair laying on his side on the ground, clutching his stomach. Immediately, her medical instincts kicked in as she ran up to him.

"Sir, are you okay?" she knew he wasn't, but she was checking to see how coherent he was.

He rasped, "I'm fine. Go away."

"I'm calling for help." She pulled out her phone and started to dial 911. As she pressed send, her phone was snatched out of her hand. Shocked, she looked to see that the wounded man had somehow, in a matter of two seconds, gotten to his feet and taken her phone from her. Just as the operator answered, he hung up the phone. He stared her down with unnaturally crimson red eyes.

"I said, 'go away,'" he growled at her. As threatening as he was attempting to be, his knees buckled and he started to collapse. Sakura instinctively caught him, quickly wrapping her arm around his back with her shoulder tucked under his armpit.

"You need medical attention," she argued. "Let me take you to a hospital."

"No. You need to get out of here."

"Why?! Are you in danger?" She was trying to assess the situation, but he was leaving her confused. She couldn't see or sense anything nearby that would threaten her, and her conscience wouldn't let her leave a man to die.

"I'm not… you are… by staying here with me…" he said as he pulled himself off of her. He stood on his own for a second, before leaning against the wall for support. "Damn, he must've used some kind of poison. I should be healed by now," he muttered.

Before Sakura could process what he meant or argue, she was knocked off of her feet by a small explosion nearby.

"Damn it!" Sasuke cursed as he jumped back up to his feet, ignoring the blinding pain in his abdomen.

This day was flipping upside down. He had been chasing down Deidara, only to be wounded by a damned poisonous explosive set up in his blind spot. Now _he_ was the one running from Deidara, who derived a sick pleasure from hunting people down and causing their gruesome, bloody demise. His favorite MO was the use of explosives.

Now, a pink haired, green eyed human woman had gotten caught in the middle of their pursuit, and he didn't have the luxury of changing into his fiercer form to get out of this mess. When he looked over toward her, she was on the ground, awake but in shock. It was clear she didn't grasp the gravity of the situation, nor did it seem to click that her life was in immediate danger.

Sasuke extended his arm out for her to use to pull herself up. When she was on her feet, he looked her over for any injuries and asked, "Can you run?" He hoped so. His adrenaline was enough to get him going, but he wasn't sure if he could carry her in his wounded state just yet.

After she nodded yes, he told her to follow him. He figured if he could safely get her to a public area, he could draw his attacker back towards the forest. At least there, they wouldn't be endangering anyone else. Sasuke continued to plan in his mind as they wound their way through the alleyway. As they approached the back of the library, Sasuke was interrupted from his thoughts when the woman stopped in her tracks.

"My friend is parked in front of this building. She can get us out of here," she said through heavy breaths.

He quickly agreed, but with no intention of actually climbing in the car with her as she suggested. She led the way to the front of the building and into the parking lot. He hated doing so because he knew Deidara was close by and had no qualms about harming the innocent bystanders filtering in and out of their cars. For a long minute, Sasuke focused his senses in an effort to pinpoint where his opponent was, but to no avail. Finally, the woman pointed out her friend's car - a silver sedan about 20 yards away.

"Okay, you go and get out of here as fast as you can. Don't look back!"

"But aren't you coming?!" she asked, bewildered.

"No, it's not safe for me. You need to go, now!"

Sense seemed to take hold of her as she didn't bother to argue any further. She ran straight toward the sedan. But when she was within a couple yards of the car, she turned back to glance at him. She didn't even have time to make eye contact when her friend's car exploded, knocking her to the ground.

The logical side of him knew he should get out of there, but something pulled him toward the woman who had tried so hard to help him. Faster than human speed, he ran to her, scooped her in his arms, and bolted away from campus towards the forest. Once he was confident he was far away from human society, he set her down and shifted to his wolf form. He scanned the area for any sign of his enemy.

 _Coward knows he can't take me out here without innocents to hide behind,_ Sasuke thought as he felt sure Deidara hadn't followed him. He transformed back to his human form and took a minute to thoroughly examine the unconscious woman. He hoped to be able to take her back to the hospital, until he noticed she was bleeding profusely from a piece of shrapnel lodged in her neck. Knowing she had maybe a minute of life left before she bled out, he did the only thing he could think of to save her - he bit down on the juncture of her neck and right shoulder, planting a mate mark on her.

After a few long seconds, she bolted upright, gasping and her eyes opened wide. At the same time, three black tomoe shapes appeared where he bit her. When she met his gaze, he could see she was in a state of shock yet again. He had a pretty good idea of what was going on, but she was sure to be overwhelmed with strange feelings as the mating mark altered some of her body chemistry.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Sakura."

"Sakura… my name is Sasuke. We're safe, but we still need to get help. And I can't get us there fast enough in this form… I just… I need you to trust me, okay?"

Sakura felt like she was in some kind of very vivid dream. Her whole body was tingling, and the naked man before her did not seem to be nearly as injured as he was just a few minutes ago. But she was nearly positive she was dreaming when the man who called himself Sasuke transformed before her eyes into a wolf the size of a small bear and with fur black as coal. The strangest thing was a clear sensation in her mind, as if it was radiating from his mind, telling her to climb on. In that moment, she had no control of her body. It moved of its own accord and climbed on the back of the supernatural being and gripped his fur as tight as she possibly could.

Sasuke whisked them away, praying that the wound in his abdomen wouldn't give way before they reached the Konoha hospital. It took nearly three hours to reach it. The entire time, he was telling Sakura to trust him. She seemed to understand him as he could sense her settling nerves, but the communication was not like it was between werewolves, who could essentially talk to each other telepathically. He had a vague sense of her calming down, just as she had a vague sense of his reassurance.

Mating with a human was outlawed. Given their dire situation, he didn't even have time to think about the law. He knew Hokage Tsunade would be mad, but she was also the only one with the medical knowledge to help them through this situation.

Throughout the journey, Sakura could sense Sasuke's desire for her to trust him, that he was taking her to safety. Though a small part of her wondered what the hell was going on, that part was buried somewhere deep within her. Instead, the strongest part of her felt entirely compelled to listen to whatever Sasuke told her.

They came to a village deep within the woods, but large nonetheless. They passed by a few buildings that looked only slightly outdated and approached the hospital. Sasuke remained in wolf form even as they entered the doors of the small, sad looking hospital. The front staff looked flabbergasted at the sight of the pair. The entire hospital lacked patients due to the supernatural healing abilities of their kind. So to see a staggering werewolf and a human stumble inside took them by surprise.

Once the staff snapped out of their stupor, they took Sasuke and Sakura to separate rooms. Sasuke transitioned back to human form, allowing the medic better access to the wound in his abdomen. He hissed in pain as his wound was cleaned and treated. Sakura was given a thorough examination, but found to be in perfect health without even a scratch on her. She was hooked up to an IV and her vitals monitored every hour as a precaution.

Sakura found herself incredibly anxious, but not for the obvious worry the nurses had about the mark on her neck. She had a strange desire to be near the man who called himself Sasuke. She felt vulnerable and unprotected not knowing exactly where he was. And she hated feeling this way. Confusion accompanied her unwelcome anxiety.

Sasuke, likewise, was hell to the nurses attending to him. He was agitated and uncooperative.

It took a few hours for Tsunade to make her appearance. When she was brought up to date on the situation, including the emotional state of the patients, she scolded the staff for putting them in separate rooms. Per her orders, Sakura's bed was wheeled to Sasuke's room. Though there was a slightly awkward tension in the room, both of them seemed to settle being back in each other's presence.

Tsunade then grilled Sasuke on what happened. When he explained why he planted a mating mark on the human girl, she eased from exasperated anger to frustrated annoyance. After taking a few calming breaths, she addressed Sakura. She explained how the mating mark saved her life but was also actively altering her body chemistry. She would likely be physically exhausted for the next week or so. Tsunade ended saying she was going to look into seeing if it was at all possible to remove it.

"Alright, well for now, both of you need to rest. Especially you, Sakura. You'll both stay here for a couple of nights, then we'll see what we can do going forward. Try to sleep for now. I'll come check on your both in the morning." She switched off the main light as she left the room, leaving it dim.

Being left alone, the two sat in restful silence for a couple minutes. Sasuke could already feel the soul-bond growing between them. But he couldn't deny his frustration that this mess was thwarting his mission to track down his brother. It was with that thought in mind, he said, "You should have left when I told you to."

Sakura felt utterly disheartened at his rebuke. Her eyes misted over as she said, "I… I'm sorry… I thought you needed help."

"Obviously I didn't. And now we're stuck in this mess…"

Tears started falling. She tried to reply but couldn't as she struggled to hold back sobs. All she could think about was that he was mad at her. Despite not understanding everything going on around her and the changes to her body, her mind fixated on the fact that the man mated to her was upset with her. And there was nothing she could do about it. She felt helpless.

Seeing his now mate sobbing, and smelling her sadness, filled Sasuke with guilt. He knew she hadn't really done anything wrong. It was strange sensing the emotions of this woman. Based on what he could sense she was feeling and observing her reactions, he guessed that she was almost acting like an omega…

"Look, Sakura, I'm sorry I snapped. I know you thought you could help… this isn't your fault. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time… and now…" he was struggling with finding the right words to describe the danger she was in being bonded to him. "Now we just have to figure out how to remove the mating mark."

His words only made her sob harder. She felt rejected. She desperately wanted to keep the mating mark. The idea of being bonded to a man - no, a werewolf! - that she quite literally just met and knew absolutely nothing about should be absurd. A small part of her, the logical, independent part, figured that she probably only felt a desire to keep the mark BECAUSE of what the mark was doing to her body. But hormones were raging and controlling her thoughts and emotions, so that logical side of her - the truer side that she never failed to listen to leading up to this point in her life - couldn't get louder than a small whisper in mind. "Do you not want to be bonded to me?" she asked through her sniffles.

 _She truly is acting like an omega_ , he thought as he recognized his alpha wanting to respond to her insecurities by comforting her. But more so, he wanted to protect her. "It's not that… your life is in danger being mated to me. Konoha has outlawed mating with humans for centuries…"

"Why?"

"... It's rumored that many humans died…"

"Died?" she touched the scar on her right shoulder with her left hand. "I don't understand. Is this not compatible with human biology?"

"That's not exactly it… They… they died whenever they would…sleep together"

"Oh…I think I see…" Trying to fill the silence and grasp some understanding of what was going on, she managed to ask, "So… is there anything else I should know?"

Sasuke cleared his throat, trying to figure out everything himself. His mission to hunt down his brother, Itachi, was clearly put on hold. That idea infuriated him. But his alpha sense was awakening to the need to protect the woman he marked as his mate. And the best way to protect her was to pause his hunt and figure out how to remove the mark before his rut hit. "There is, but for now let's both get some sleep. Tsunade can explain more tomorrow."

"Okay," she breathed out, residing to try to do as he instructed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my silly little werewolf AU. I'll be honest, my main motivation for writing this was to have an outlet for the sexy werewolf fantasy in my head XD (And rest assured, I do NOT do slow burn, so the sexy stuff is coming soon).
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr under the same name. I'm pretty active there.
> 
> Reviews and constructive criticism (please be kind though) are welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

For nearly an hour, the two lay in silence, trying to fall asleep. Sakura was feeling very anxious, and Sasuke could sense it. Finally, she decided to pull her phone out of the buttoned pocket on her right thigh. The lifeproof case had managed to keep it safe through the day's ordeals. She mindlessly scrolled through her various social media apps, but decided seeing the goings on in people's lives felt too surreal. So she went to Pinterest and spent the next half hour pinning recipes, workouts and fashion designs that look appealing. The activity only helped occupy her mind to an extent, but her nerves were still tingling.

Sasuke was getting annoyed at sensing her unending anxiety. Something instinctive hit him as he called her name softly to get her attention. When she looked over at him, he invited her to lay down by him in his bed.

Pleasantly surprised and a little confused, Sakura asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he assured her, "come on."

She climbed out of her bed and clumsily meandered over to him with her IV in tow. Her nerves slowly began to settle when she rested herself into his right side, laying her head on his shoulder. A wave of relief washed over her when he placed his hand on her shoulder and traced circles over her mark with his thumb.

Sasuke could tell that the sensation of his touch on the mark immediately washed away her anxiety. She was calm, at total peace. And he had made that happen. For the time being, she was dependent on him. Several minutes passed as he continued rubbing her mark; her eyes closed and her breathing steadied.

Watching her drift off to sleep in his arms, being so vulnerable, prompted him to do something he would immediately regret. He shifted so that he was laying on his side and brought his face down to nuzzle the mark, then kiss it. His tongue snuck out between his lips to lick the wonderful symbol adorning her skin.

But his body wanted more. More than his body. The innermost parts of his being wanted to consummate the bond between them. That's what was natural for a werewolf, afterall. Hardly realizing what he was doing, he nuzzled her neck and slipped his hand up under her shirt. In a slow, smooth motion, he was guiding her body to her back so that he could hover over her. As he did so, her eyes slowly opened.

Sakura had only been dozing when she felt Sasuke's hand sliding up her waist and rib cage. As their bodies shifted so that she was on her back, and he was beginning to rise over her, she felt completely safe and protected. Even though she wasn't sure what he wanted, she knew she would happily give in to whatever it was.

He pulled his head back to look at her half-lidded eyes. There was no fear. Only trust. And damn if that didn't make him feel good. His hold on her side tightened and he dropped his forehead down to rest on her neck again. "Fuck," he whispered his frustration. "I have to stop…"

"Be… because you think you'll hurt me?" she questioned, suddenly realizing her hands were lightly holding onto his arms.

Sasuke's voice strained as he answered, "Not now… but I could… when I…" _When I rut_. And there was no telling if being intimate for the first time in his life would cause his rut or not. He remained still, stuck between wanting to protect her from himself and giving into his desire to be with her. "Fuck!"

Wanting to help ease his conscience, Sakura reminded him that the nurses come in every hour and would likely be coming in soon. "What would happen if they saw us together like that?"

He chuckled, "It would probably turn into a bloody mess in here." And with that, he rolled onto his back next to her again.

Sakura remained on her back and brought her hand down to grab his. He interlaced their fingers. With a quick squeeze of his hand, he said, "We'll figure this out… We have to…"

She just smiled at him. She had no idea what tomorrow held for her. All she knew was that she felt strangely content and safe being in Sasuke's presence.

The next morning, Tsunade stopped by to check on the two patients. She frowned when she saw them asleep in bed together, but was also aware of the overwhelming emotions that new mates undergo.

Just as she was about to nudge Sasuke, he stirred and slowly opened his eyes. Thankful she didn't have to wake up the temperamental, newly mated werewolf, she asked evenly, "Did you consummate your bond last night?"

He creased his brow in annoyance as he answered, "No."

She sighed in relief. "Good. You know the danger that could pose to her."

"Yeah…" he was well aware that it could threaten her life. His innate desire to protect her was battling the mating hormones raging through him, and he really didn't feel like talking about it with Lady Tsunade.

"Can you wake her? I need to talk to you both." After Sasuke gently shook Sakura awake and she acknowledged Tsunade's presence, she continued, "I stayed up most of the night last night researching about removing the mating mark and undoing the bond. Unfortunately I couldn't find anything…I'll continue looking, but we need to figure out what to do with you two in the meantime." They both just looked at her in expectance, so she continued, "My recommendation is to stay one more night here. Sakura, as I'm sure you've already noticed, you'll be feeling exhausted for a while. Since you're human, I'm not entirely sure, but I'd guess at least for a couple of weeks...before I go on, let me ask, have you been in contact with anyone since you've been here?"

Sakura just shook her head, and Sasuke could sense a hint of sadness in her.

Tsunade pressed, "You haven't talked to any family or friends?" Again, Sakura just shook her head no. "Well as you can probably assume, we're not exactly wanting people to know about our society here…"

Sakura cut her off, "You don't have to worry about me talking to anybody. My only family has been dead for years. I just moved to the city, so no friends. The only person that would check in on me was my roommate, and she was killed yesterday."

In that moment, Sakura started to process just how much she had endured that past few years, only for the past day to pile on top of all of it. Her sadness was not lost on Sasuke and Tsunade.

"I see," said Tsunade. "I'm sorry for your loss. But know that you are not alone in dealing with this mating bond. I'm here, and obviously so is your mate. Besides exhaustion, I imagine you'll also be feeling different than your normal self. Because you're human, the bond will affect you in different ways that it would a werewolf. The hormones will intensify your emotions. Eventually, they'll level out and you should feel like your normal self again." Tsunade turned to Sasuke, "If I haven't figured out a fix for this after two weeks, we'll be forced to seek out Orochimaru's help."

Sasuke groaned in disapproval at the mention of Orochimaru, prompting Sakura to ask, "What's wrong with that? Who's Orochimaru?"

Sasuke answered, "He's a creep."

Tsunade jumped in quickly, "And a scientist who has researched and experimented for years to learn more about our kind. I have a feeling he'll be our best shot at resolving this. You know, Sasuke, had it been anyone else in this situation, I'd be hard pressed to serve out severe consequences for mating with a human."

He laid his head back, closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Yeah, I get it."

Sakura still felt confused, but weariness was winning over her curiosity. Her eyes were getting heavy. Tsunade excused herself to let the two rest. Sakura slept most of the day, still in Sasuke's bed, only waking to eat the meals brought in by the hospital staff.

Sasuke spent the day in silent contemplation. He really hoped he wouldn't have to go to Orochimaru to solve this. He even allowed himself to wonder what would happen if he remained mated to this human woman that he knew nothing about. Seeking out a way to remove the mark felt unnatural and...wrong. But imagining the bloodbath that could result from his rut was enough to convince himself that removing the mark was the only way to really protect her.

It was just after lunch the following day that Tsunade discharged them. She made a point to reiterate to Sasuke not to sleep with her, but also knew it would be harmful to attempt to separate the two. So Sasuke took Sakura back to his apartment.

The citizens of Konoha had modern living spaces, which included electricity and modern plumbing, built into the labyrinth of surprisingly well-lit caves and tunnels in a mountain with a cliffside which had the four faces carved into the side. The faces were the three previous Hokages and the current Hokage - Lady Tsunade.

Sasuke's modest apartment opened up into a medium-sized kitchen with a bar separating it from the open dining area and living room combination. Two bedrooms with an adjoining bathroom took up the left side of the apartment.

Because Sakura was still feeling utterly drained and there was not much to do but wait, they spent the rest of the day reclined on the couch with the TV on. It didn't take long for Sakura to doze off. While she slept leaning against the opposite side of the couch, Sasuke texted his closest friend, Naruto

 **Naruto:** Hey man, I heard you're back already. What happened with Deidara?

 **Sasuke:** He got away.

 **Naruto:** Damn

 **Naruto:** Why weren't you able to track him?

Sasuke took a few minutes to figure how to answer him. Naruto knew Sasuke wouldn't just give up on chasing a solid lead of finding his brother - who had slaughtered his clan in cold blood. He evidently took too long to answer for Naruto's comfort because he called him.

"Ah," Sasuke answered blandly.

"Well, what happened Sasuke? How come you're back home and not chasing down that damn Akatsuki guy?"

"I told you. I lost him."

"Bullshit. You're too good a tracker for him to slip away that easy. Something bad must've happened."

"Yeah… well… you're not wrong."

"Why do you always make me drag it out of you? Why can't you just tell it to me straight?"

Sasuke sighed, inwardly relenting that Naruto could prove to be a help. "Alright… I had tracked Deidara to the city, but right as I had him, the coward set off a poisonous explosive. A toxic piece of shrapnel sliced my stomach. A woman saw me and tried to help. She ended up getting caught in the crossfire of one of Deidara's attacks and nearly died…"

" _Nearly_ died? So you saved her?"

"Yeah."

"That's good! Did she see you in your werewolf form?"

"...no." It wasn't a total lie...Up to that point, she really hadn't seen him in wolf form.

"Alright… so you came home because of your wound?"

"Yeah."

"I get that...but why are you _still_ home? I'd think you'd be back out after Deidara the moment you were healed."

Sasuke cleared his throat before responding, "It's that woman I saved. She was on her dying breaths. There was only one thing I could do."

There was nearly a half minute of silence before Naruto said, "You didn't…" When Sasuke didn't respond, he finished his thought. "You marked her?"

"Ah."

"Damn… so where is she now?"

Naruto's unnaturally calm response to the news was a little disconcerting. "With me at my place."

"Does Tsunade know?"

"Yeah. She's looking into how to remove it."

"Ha! Good luck with that!"

"If she can't find out, then we'll have to contact Orochimaru to see if he's discovered something."

"Wow you are desperate if you're willing to go to Orochimaru."

"For her sake we have to find a way to remove it."

"Look, I get why you want to try, but I really doubt you're going to find anything. And besides, I really don't think it's as dangerous as Tsunade believes it to be…"

Sasuke knew Naruto had seen some things and been exposed to the human world during his travels with Jiraiya when he was younger. But he was still inclined to err on the side of caution instead of risking Sakura's life.

"Just because the perv believed it's safe to mate with humans doesn't mean it's true."

Not wanting to get into a heated argument, Naruto redirected the conversation, "Yeah, yeah. How about Hinata and I come by tomorrow? We can bring lunch."

"Yeah that would be nice. Just keep it a short visit. I don't want to overwhelm her, and I can only handle so much of your energy right now."

Naruto let out a loud laugh at that before hanging up.

By the time night fell, Sakura had been asleep for hours. Sasuke carried her to his bed and tried to sleep in the spare bedroom, but ended up tossing and turning the whole night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you so much for the feedback and comments. They really are motivating!  
> It's super tempting to be really critical of myself here and apologize for all the things I think are bad or lacking in this story, but instead I'm gonna focus on the fact that we all know this is for fun. I'm an amateur doing this as a hobby, and I don't claim to be anymore than that! I got enjoyment out of writing this so I hope you get some out of reading it :)

When the two awoke the next morning, Sakura shyly revealed that she had slept poorly. Sasuke admitted that his attempt at putting some distance between them didn't settle well with him last night either. He assured her that he would sleep in the bedroom, but he planned to sleep on a pallet on the floor.

As Sasuke started preparing breakfast, Sakura got fidgety and nervously asked what he wanted her to do to help. When he tried to assure her that he was fine, she just needed to sit down and rest, he could sense her edginess. Instinctively, he walked up to her and rubbed the mate mark gently, immediately calming her down. He leaned his forehead down to touch hers, and stayed for a minute as he continued to comfort her with his touch to her mark.

Sakura closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, allowing herself to settle into the welcoming feeling of peace and comfort that always seemed to come when Sasuke pressed the scar on her shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked with his hand still on her shoulder.

"Mmhmm," she mustered. She felt better, but not herself. And that bothered her.

Sasuke seemed to pick up that as he gently told her, "Tell me what's on your mind."

The small command compelled her to spill everything on her mind. "I just feel so strange. This isn't me at all. I'm normally strong minded and independent. Sure of myself. But it's like I can't be at ease unless I know without a shadow of a doubt that you're… pleased with me…" her watery eyes finally met his as she continued, "I've never depended on a man to feel good about myself. I always pitied my best friend back home because she always needed a guy's attention to feel confident. And now here I am, desperate for your approval with everything. It's just… this isn't me… and I can't help but wonder if I'll ever get back to myself again."

He pulled her into a firm embrace, and she let her tears fall as she buried her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen, Sakura," he spoke with a gravelly voice into her hair. And he meant it. Unlike her, he felt very much like himself, but with a huge shift in focus. Whereas a couple days ago he was consumed with hunting down his brother Itachi, now he was solely focused on taking care of his mate. Itachi was barely on a far back burner in the recesses of his mind. "How about you tell me more about your life while we eat breakfast?"

Sakura just nodded into his chest, too busy wiping away her tears to give a verbal response.

Sasuke quickly finished preparing and cooking the food. As they sat and ate, Sakura told him about how both her parents died of different kinds of cancer within the same year - the year she graduated high school. As soon as she finished community college, she got a job in her hometown working as a CNA, as an in-home caretaker for elderly patients. But staying home broke her heart as she was constantly reminded of her parents, so she moved to the city in attempts to restart her life, getting a job at a nursing home. She'd only been living there a couple months up to that point.

Sasuke listened intently, absorbing everything she said. He couldn't help but note the irony of her desire to start over. "I suppose getting mated with a werewolf wasn't exactly what you had in mind when you wanted to get a fresh start."

Sakura missed the sarcasm in his statement. Feeling a need to explain herself, she stammered out quickly, "Well no, but I didn't even know werewolves existed! I can adjust though. This is the perfect way for me to start over!"

Sasuke chuckled. He had managed to catch a glimpse of the real Sakura before her hormonal insecurities returned. He directed her to follow him to the couch and rubbed her mark once again as he asked, "What do you want to know about me? Ask me anything."

She pondered a moment before asking, "Who was that man after you when I found you in the alley?"

 _Oh boy_ , he thought. Her question led him into his entire back story.

They spent the rest of the morning talking, getting to know each other. Sakura was becoming obviously tired when a knock at the door interrupted them.

 _Shit, I completely forgot about Naruto and Hinata coming over._ "That's my friend. He wanted to bring lunch over. I'll just tell him now isn't a good time to stay."

But when he opened the door, he was surprised to hear Sakura exclaim loudly, "Naruto?!" She jumped from the couch, a second wind rejuvenating her at the sight of her childhood friend.

"S-Sakura?!" Naruto gasped, wide eyed. He bulldozed his way past Sasuke and gave Sakura a full, tight hug.

Sasuke growled lowly to himself at the sight of their embrace. _What the hell is going on?_

Hinata walked in and met his gaze, seeing the angered confusion written all over his face. She said softly, "I have no idea. But it appears they know each other." Unlike Sasuke, she did not feel jealous. Though an omega, she had the utmost confidence in the loyalty of her alpha mate.

Naruto continued to ignore Sasuke when he let go of Sakura. He beckoned his own mate over to introduce her and Sakura.

Sakura felt Sasuke's irritation radiating from him and quickly explained, "Naruto and I lived next door to each other during middle school. For three years we hung out nearly everyday…. wait…. does this mean… are you a werewolf too?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, squinting his eyes shut as he smiled wide, "Haha yeah, pretty much."

Sakura was astounded to learn that someone she thought she had known so well had managed to keep such a big part of himself a secret.

The four ended up spending the afternoon together. Sasuke, ever the introvert, was ready for them to leave as soon as they finished lunch. But he could see that Sakura thoroughly enjoyed their company, quickly learning that she was quite an extrovert. So he hid his feelings in favor of helping Sakura feel more at ease.

The three werewolves informed the human about Konoha society. Sakura learned that although they had smartphones, half the time they were left at home because transitioning to werewolf form didn't exactly allow for easy access to a phone.

Something even more shocking she would need to prepare herself for was that at least half of the werewolf community never bothered with clothes even in their human form. Many felt it pointless since they had to be shed for transitioning to wolf form anyway. But many public places had cheap clothes on hand to accommodate those who would rather cover up in human form.

She also learned that werewolves could only be born of werewolves. There was no way for a human to transform into one - being bitten or otherwise. So it was intriguing to Sakura that being mated to a werewolf did allow her, as a human, to take on the supernatural healing qualities similar to a werewolf.

After Naruto and Hinata left around dinner time, Sasuke and Sakura spent the rest of the evening resting on the couch watching TV again. That night, Sasuke attempted to sleep on the floor of his room, but Sakura's fitful sleep pushed him to eventually join her in bed; they both slept soundly after that.

Sasuke was getting antsy stuck at home, and Sakura could tell. Since she was resting most of the day anyway, she assured him that she would be fine if he needed to get out of the house. So he picked up some day shifts working patrol duty on the outskirts of town.

When he left for his first day back at work, she spent the day going back and forth between napping, scrolling through social media and flipping through channels on TV. Sadness hit her as the reality settled in that her roommate was killed and she had no loved ones left to miss her. Her world was turned upside down, and there was no one to confide in except for the very one who flipped her world upside down in the first place.

All of those thoughts immediately left her mind when Sasuke walked through the door that evening. Instead, she felt anxious and embarrassed that she had been lazing around all day. At the very least she could have tried to cook something. When he revealed a couple bags of take-out, she started apologizing profusely for not having any food prepared.

"Sakura, it's fine. There isn't much food here to prepare anyway."

"I should've at least tried. Or I could've gone out to grab something from the store."

"With what money?"

"I… don't know. But I should've done something! I'm so sorry!"

Instead of trying to reason any further, he walked up to her and pressed the mark on her shoulder. When she settled, she asked, "Are you getting tired of having to do that?"

"Hn," was all he said before placing a lingering kiss to her forehead.

She just chuckled at his lackadaisical response, reassured by his touch.

Internally, Sasuke knew he would be annoyed if he was resigned to having to constantly reassure his mate for the rest of his life. But based on what Tsunade had told them, he was fairly certain this was only temporary. And he knew she had little control over her emotions right now, so he didn't mind taking the extra measure to calm her down.

The next day, as Sasuke was on guard duty, Hinata spent the day showing Sakura around Konoha. Sakura was thankful for the distraction, and noticed she was slowly gaining some of her energy back. It was strange how comfortable she felt walking around a half-nudist village, though it was basically it's own city, in the forest, catching a few shifts of wolves to humans and vice versa. This whole new world felt like something she'd known about for a lot longer than a few weeks.

Over the next week and a half, Sasuke worked typical business hours, roaming the forest keeping watch over Konoha from intruders. The easy work allowed him time to process everything. And it gave him something to do while waiting on Tsunade to come up with something about his bond with his human mate. Evenings and the weekend he spent with Sakura. Many of the days he worked, Sakura spent with Hinata and/or Naruto, both of whom worked odd hours. Sasuke noticed that she seemed to become more energized and outgoing as the days pressed on.

After two weeks, they finally met Tsunade in her office. She regretfully could not find any way to remove the mate mark, and had been in contact with Orochimaru. He told her he had a solution, but insisted that the couple needed to come to him. Sasuke hated the idea of visiting that mischievous schemer, but relented that it was the best chance at returning Sakura to her normal life. So the two packed lightly for the journey to Orochimaru's bunker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my silly little werewolf AU! If you don't like it, no worries. If you do like it and want to see more, just know that follows and comments (even if it's just an emoticon) keep me motivated!
> 
> PS - lemons start next chapter!
> 
> PSS - I do have another story I've started writing (called Sasuke's Concubine - please check the tags before reading as it is not for everyone), so I'll be alternating between that one and this one.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much to everyone leaving reviews! Each one gives me a happiness boost and I so appreciate them! :) I hope y'all are doing well!

The journey through the woods to Orochimaru's place took much longer with his female companion. And when Sasuke was being completely honest with himself, he was glad to take his time. Once they reached their destination, they'd be separated, and he found himself saddened at the idea.

He knew Sakura felt the same way, but attributed it to the effects of the mark. He was sure that of her own accord, she would never choose to be with him. He was convinced this was the best thing for her.

But still, the past three days, Sakura had been almost completely herself. No anxiety episodes. Though she was still attentive to him, she also gained her confidence back. She was actually taking him at his word instead of requiring reassurance. And he was drawn to the strong, independent woman that was his mate - at least for the time being.

So the trip that he could've easily made in a long day was stretched to three days. The days were spent with Sakura riding on Sasuke's back in werewolf form. She carried a backpack with some basic essentials, including a pair of dark gray sweatpants for Sasuke to slip on when he shifted to human form. They stopped every so often for bathroom breaks and to eat.

Nights were spent in each other's arms. Sasuke knew it would be wiser to be in wolf form at night to protect them against any threats. But he couldn't resist holding her just a few more times before they parted.

On the third day, they stopped for lunch and took their time. Sasuke quickly hunted down a deer and gathered some nuts and berries as Sakura dozed inside a small cave. They were only an hour away from Orochimaru's place at that point, so they moved at a leisurely pace in both preparing and eating their meal. Although their conversation was minimal, they were enjoying being in each other's company.

As they were cleaning up, Sakura was startled when Sasuke threw a plate across the cave, shattering it against the wall. "Fuck," he growled, clenching his fists and tensing his shoulders.

"Sasuke? ...what's wrong?" Sakura asked tentatively. Seeing the normally calm and reserved man behave with such sudden outrage unnerved her.

Instead of responding, he started walking toward the entrance of the cave. He tried telling himself to leave, but his body wouldn't listen. So instead he propped his arms against the cave wall and leaned over, willing his body to calm down but failing miserably. _This doesn't make any sense...we haven't done anything to bring on my rut...it should be months before my next one...so_ _ **why**_ _is it happening now?!_

Normally when he had his rut, he did what many single werewolves did - went off by himself for the few days it lasted and relieved himself as often as necessary. But now, in the presence of his mate, he couldn't bring himself to leave her. And the tension building inside him was overwhelming. When Sakura's hand landed on his shoulder, he barely noticed his body move to pin her against the wall before him.

Sakura's breath hitched as she was firmly whipped around. Her back pressed against the wall and her heart pounded furiously as Sasuke caged her in between his arms. For a few beats, fear gripped her. She never feared being hurt by her mate, but being suddenly manhandled and seeing Sasuke's eyes turn from obsidian to crimson red gave her doubt. But as she held his gaze for nearly a minute, she realized her heart wasn't racing from fear anymore, but something else entirely.

But Sasuke missed the change in her emotions. Her fear awakened an alertness in him. He made to back away from her in a desperate attempt to keep her safe from the harm he could cause her.

But she grabbed his hand to stop him. He squeezed it back and whispered gravelly, "Sakura…".

"Are you…?"

Alpha males' ruts had been explained to her earlier, so they both knew what she was asking without actually saying it.

He just nodded in response.

Instead of saying anything, she let her left hand trail up his chiseled abs, pausing for just a moment on his pectorals, before resting it to cup his cheek.

 _Fuck! What the hell is she doing?_ He closed his eyes and leaned into her palm. Then he opened them and gave her a pained look.

Sakura read his face and realized he was more afraid than she was at that moment. A strange compulsion to comfort him pushed her to say, "It's okay… I want this…"

The pain didn't leave his face as he said, "I don't want to hurt you."

"I'll be okay."

He felt his self-control quickly waning. "I won't be able to stop."

She whispered, "I'll be okay. I promise."

His resolve broke when she brought both of her hands behind his neck to pull him down for a kiss. As their lips crashed together; he relished the taste of her mouth. Instinctively, he moved to her neck to lick her mark. The stimulation sent shivers of excitement down her spine. But when he bit down, her whole body flared up and her sex was instantly pooling with her arousal. Her jaw dropped and eyes widened as the heightened sensations flooded her body - and she had a near death grip on his shoulders. The feeling of his bite alone was better than any of her past sexual experiences.

Sasuke was very in tune with the effect his bite was having on her. He could smell the heady scent of her arousal, so he bit down just a little harder and caressed her sides. When her grip tightened and she inadvertently let out a seductive whimper, he found he couldn't wait any longer.

In what felt like a whirlwind of a second to Sakura, Sasuke had managed to strip both of their clothes off and get her on her back on the picnic blanket they had used for lunch. He kissed her thoroughly as he lined himself up with her opening. She never had a chance to see his cock before he pushed into her, but when he was fully sheathed she could tell it was certainly larger than most humans. Despite her excess fluids - which she was grateful for - her vagina was stinging mercilessly. He didn't hold back on his thrusts, causing her to be of two minds: she was glad to be joined with him so intimately, but also hoped for it to be over quickly so the pain would stop. She was glad not to be a virgin because she imagined that would've made the experience near excruciating.

A small part in the back of Sasuke's mind knew he should slow down for her sake, but it was all he could do not to ravish her in the many erotic positions playing through his mind. Feeling her so tight around him brought on his release in a couple minutes that felt all too short for him but rather long to her. As he finished, he pushed deeper so that his swelled knot rested securely inside her.

Sakura had not expected _that_. A slew of expletives coursed through her mind as she squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth in reaction to the intensified pain. _I will not cry, I will_ _ **not**_ _cry._ She repeated the mantra in her mind several times.

Having obtained some relief, albeit not quite enough to last very long, some clarity returned to his mind. "Sakura…"

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and opened her eyes, meeting his gaze.

"You're in pain."

She had been successful in holding back her tears, and she wasn't about to give in now. "I'm fine."

He stroked her cheek, bringing her some comfort. But it was when he rubbed her mark that he broke her resolve, and the tears welled up in her eyes.

Guilt stirred up within him at the confirmation of her being in pain, and his current inability to remove it. He gently pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Sakura."

She understood why he felt contrite, but she also knew that she had given her full consent and did not want him to beat himself up over it. Though she hurt like the dickens, her medically trained mind knew it was nothing too significant that wouldn't heal in a few days' time. She cupped his cheek and said reassuringly, "Don't worry. I'll be alright, I promise." Then she shifted her hips and felt a tugging sensation that caused her to wince. "But… what's going on? Why does it feel like you're stuck in me?"

He let out a small chuckle as it suddenly dawned on him that he neglected to tell her a crucial detail about werewolf intercourse. "It's called knotting… we'll be 'stuck' like this for half an hour or so…"

"Oh…" She sniffled and tears sprang back up at the new knowledge that she would have to endure the pain for a lot longer than she anticipated. Swallowing a gulp down, she asked, "So what's… are you… just… stuck hovering over me like this for the next thirty minutes?"

"Heh," he smirked and pressed his forehead down against hers. "Will you be alright if I flip us?"

When she nodded her consent, he reversed their positions as swiftly and smoothly as possible. His supernatural strength allowed him to carry out the move better than most men, but Sakura still felt a tug at her womanhood, causing a painful pang. She laid her body flat against his as her legs lay straddling him. If it weren't for the pain coursing inside her, she would've felt a little silly - like a young child falling asleep on their parent.

For nearly a minute she tried to hold back the tears, but they slowly dripped out of her eyes despite her best efforts to will them back. Sasuke started to rub his hands up and down her back, successfully comforting her and distracting her mind from the pain. He hated himself for causing her such distress, but more so for the fact that his body was still on edge - craving more. He vowed the moment his knot shrunk and they could separate, he would run them straight to Orochimaru to find a way to free Sakura from this wretched situation.

As his mind raced, a light bulb went off in his head. _Orochimaru! The bastard must have done something to the food around here. There's no other reason I should've hit my rut right now. Damn it!_ He resolved to make him pay for this. That snake had a reputation for causing trouble and no doubt derived a sick pleasure from causing the very thing he promised to help them avoid.

Sakura sensed his discontentment and felt an urge to reassure him, to relieve him of any guilt. "I'm fine, Sasuke, really. I mean it burns a lot, but I...I don't regret it."

"Hn…" he paused, and before he could ask the question on his mind, Sakura spoke up again.

"I don't really understand. If the mark helped me heal fast from a fatal wound, why am I not healing fast right now?"

He thought for a minute before answering, "I don't know. But I'm going to get us some answers."

Before she could stop herself, she whispered her thoughts out loud, not really meaning for him to hear. "Would it be like this everytime?"

"What do you mean?" She just rolled her face down to hide into his chest in embarrassment. "Sakura…" he prodded.

"I just meant… if we didn't or couldn't remove the mark… if we stayed bonded…"

"We won't. I'll find a way to get rid of it."

Another minute passed before she mustered the courage to ask softly, "Is that what you want?"

"For your sake, yes."

"What if it's not what I want?"

"Sakura… staying mated to me would mean a lot of pain for you. Would you really want to endure that?" he asked it rhetorically, but a small part of him wanted her to want him.

"I mean… I don't enjoy the pain… but I don't want to be apart from you either…"

Fighting his rut and digging deep to access the logical part of his brain, he retorted, "That's just the mark talking."

She sighed, "Yeah - probably." Even though she consented that may very well be the case, it still felt real to her that severing the bond between her and Sasuke was the last thing she wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading my silly little werewolf AU :) I promise it gets better for Sakura!
> 
> If you are enjoying this story, just know that every little comment, even a simple emoticon, are very motivating to keep me writing!


	5. Chapter 5

When Sasuke and Sakura separated, he could smell the blood dripping down her leg, solidifying his determination to free her of himself. After they quickly dressed, he carried her on his back in wolf form and made it to Orochimaru's bunker in an hour.

For several minutes he searched through the large facility until at last they found him in a large, dimly lit banquet hall. Sakura could sense Sasuke's rage upon seeing the pale, dark haired man and surmised she should hop off of him. The moment her feet were on the floor, Sasuke bolted across the room and pinned Orochimaru to the ground, snarling aggressively.

Orochimaru didn't seem the least bit nervous. "Why, if it isn't Sasuke Uchiha. I was expecting you...is this anyway to treat your mentor?"

He growled, communicating telepathically, _What the hell did you do?_

"Now, now, Sasuke. It's rude to whisper secrets in front of your sweetheart here. Why don't you let me go and we can talk as rational human beings?"

_How do we get rid of the mate mark?_

"All in due time. Let's catch up. Sit down and eat. That is if you didn't get full on the wild berries just outside my compound."

Sasuke growled ferociously at Orochimaru's joke, which he didn't find the least bit funny. Sakura watched befuddled at the strange scene playing out in front of her. _A couple weeks ago, who would've thought I'd be bonded to a werewolf...and now I'm watching him close to tearing a man to shreds before my eyes._

But she wasn't aware yet that Orochimaru was a sly werewolf himself and could hold his own against Sasuke.

Orochimaru finally communicated more seriously, _Let me up, and you'll have all the answers you seek._

Reluctantly, Sasuke stepped off of him and shifted. After slipping on his sweatpants from Sakura's backpack, the two sat down at the table, eagerly waiting for their host to speak up.

He sat down and addressed Sakura, "Now, my dear, I believe Sasuke was quite rude in neglecting to formally introduce us. Orochimaru, at your service."

Sakura threw a sideways glance at Sasuke before responding stoically, "Sakura." Typically she would offer up a 'nice to meet you,' but felt that unbecoming given Sasuke's hostility toward him. She was thoroughly confused as to the relationship between the two men.

"Pleased to meet you, Sakura," he said with a glint in his eye. "Can I interest you in something to eat?"

"Enough," Sasuke demanded. "How do we remove the mate mark on Sakura?"

"Remove it?! Why on earth would you want to remove it?"

Sasuke glared at him threateningly. Sakura chimed in, "Isn't it dangerous for a human to be mates with a werewolf?"

"Is that what they told you? Silly girl, don't believe everything you hear."

Sasuke said, "Tsunade said you had a way to remove it. Tell us how and we'll be on our way."

"I said no such thing!" When Sasuke's eyes flared red in anger, he continued undisturbed, "I said I have a _solution._ But I never said I had a way to remove the mark."

"What the hell are you talking about, you snake?"

"Tell me. What seems to be the issue here? The rumor is that your rut would cause you to tear a human mate to shreds should you engage in sexual activities. Well, you did that. And she's fine. Alive and well - not torn to bits like you so feared. So tell me, what's the problem?"

Sasuke was near the end of his rope with fury, on top of feeling his rut trying to take over his senses. All at once, He made to stand up as Orochimaru put his hands up in efforts to hold him off and Sakura spoke up again, "So my life isn't in any danger by being bonded with him?"

"Not at all, human. In fact, the mark helps you to heal from wounds significantly faster than a typical human, so in many ways, your life is much safer being mated to this sourpuss."

"So I'm supposed to heal faster… from all types of injury…?"

Orochimaru threw his head back in maniacal laughter at that. When he finally settled down, he said, "I'm guessing your consummation didn't go so pleasantly. Am I right?" Sakura just looked down in embarrassment while Sasuke shot him more death glares. "It was a week and a half after you marked her that Tsunade finally reached out to me. I knew by that point it would be too late and you would need my help."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke gritted.

"Well had you done the _natural_ thing and consummated your bond right away, as Sakura's bond was fresh in her system, her body would've adjusted to you immediately. But since you delayed so long, her body believes there's nothing to change or adjust to."

At this point, Sasuke was pacing back and forth in agitation. He was getting antsy, and his thoughts were clouding. It was getting increasingly harder to focus on the conversation at hand.

Sakura asked, "So you're saying, had we been… intimate...right away, we wouldn't have any problems?"

He tapped his nose and answered, "Exactly...Werewolves already heal supernaturally fast on their own, so when they mate, their body chemistry is altered not to heal from... love marks… as it were. It's a whole primal, possessive, marking their territory thing. So similarly, even though you're human, your body reacts to your mate's pheromones by _not_ supernaturally healing any...direct sexual injuries."

"And there's no way to remove the mark?" Sasuke countered, still pacing.

"None whatsoever. Once mated, death is the only way to be released."

Sasuke squinted his eyes shut and made a pained expression. He was torn between disappointment in not being able to protect Sakura and the overwhelming push to take his mate right then and there.

Sakura felt nervous for him, and had a slew of questions racing through her mind. How exactly did the mark alter her body chemistry as a human? In what ways would it react to Sasukes touch? Did he release something into her system whenever he bit her? Even though her mind raced, she couldn't find a way to put words to her thoughts.

Orochimaru goaded, "It seems your mate is falling victim to his baser urges. You'll need to take care of that soon."

Sakura didn't bother to react to his antagonism, but instead asked, "You said something earlier about a 'solution.' What did you mean?"

"Ah that. Yes. You'll be happy to know that thanks to my research, I've concocted a _solution_ that acts as a salve of sorts. It'll help you heal almost instantaneously."

 _You conniving son of bitch_ , thought Sasuke for Orochimaru to hear.

Said man turned his head to Sasuke and said, "And Sasuke, you'll be glad to know I've made accommodations for you and your dear here. There's a room down that hallway - second door on your left. There's a container of the salve with instructions on the dresser."

Sakura watched as Sasuke hesitated for several seconds; she waited for him to decide their next move. Sasuke never felt Orochimaru was entirely trustworthy, but his biology was demanding for him to take his mate. And there didn't seem to be any other options at the moment. So with that, Sasuke grabbed Sakura's hand and whisked her away to the room prepared for them. They could hear Orochimaru's mischievous laughs reverberating through the hall.

The room resembled that of a honeymoon suite at a nice hotel. It was large with a king size bed in the middle and a spacious bathroom off to the side. Once they set foot inside, Sasuke slammed the door and crashed his lips against Sakura's in a bruising kiss.

Feeling a little shell-shocked, Sakura let out a muffled "mmph" into his mouth. Sasuke pulled back and commanded in a hushed, yet dominating tone, "Get the salve, now."

Sakura didn't feel an ounce of reluctance and gladly did as he said. She turned around to look at the dresser behind her and quickly found the round container of ointment. The instructions read, _Supernatural healing salve and lubricant. Apply generously to desired area. Should feel results in second._ And then scribbled below that, _Be sure to use plenty of this over the next few days._

Sasuke stripped off his pants and quickly had Sakura on the bed, sprawled out beneath him and holding the salve in her left hand. Seeing the predatory, lustful look in his eyes as he hovered over her sent a thrilled feeling through her, and she instinctively stretched her neck and tilted her head, inviting him to take her. As he brought his face down to her neck, she hoped the salve worked as well as Orochimaru claimed. She was willing regardless, but she really wanted to enjoy this as much as Sasuke did.

When his mouth met her mark, her nerves started tingling. Within seconds, her panties were soaked. It was like the mark acted as an 'on' button, immediately readying her body for penetration. He pulled back and looked her over, suddenly frustrated that she had so many clothes on. Using his inuman strength, he quickly ripped off her pants and panties.

As he moved onto her shirt and bra a split second later, Sakura voiced her annoyance at losing one of the only two sets of clothes she had with her, "Oh, come on!"

But he just growled in response before biting down hard on her mark. Losing all sense of what she was upset about just a moment ago, she delighted in the euphoria flooding her body as she let out a pleasured, "Ah!" and arched her back.

Feeling her breasts pressing against his chest only fueled the already growing flame inside him, demanding for her body. Sakura was thankful that she was coherent enough to open the container in her hand, dig out an ample amount of the healing lubricant and rub it into herself. She used the remaining balm on her hands to stroke his member.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had moved on from biting her to sucking and nipping her neck, leaving a few bruises on the path up to her jawline. After several pumps of her handjob, he said, "Fuck, I need you… now."

She nodded in understanding. He aligned himself to her entrance, just barely pushing the tip of his cock into before grabbing her hands and holding them down on either side of her head with their fingers interlaced. Then he drove into her without any thought of holding back.

To her relief, she felt no pain - only stretching and pressure that aided in increasing her pleasure. She squeezed her fingers to tighten her grip on his hands and moaned with each merciless thrust. He kissed her harshly so he could enjoy the feel of her moans in his mouth. The closer contact brought their bodies together, letting her feel his sweat-slicked muscles glide over her. Much sooner than he would've liked, he felt his release coming on.

Unable to hold back, he pushed his knot into her with an aggressive thrust that drew out a long, high-pitched moan from her. But he wasn't about to stop until she got hers too. "Touch yourself," he instructed in a rough whisper in her ear as he let go of her right hand. Then he rubbed her mark with his hand as he lavished kisses and small bites along the left side of her neck.

Sakura did as he told and played with her bundle of nerves as he slowly humped her. Feeling his cock deep inside her, his thumb stimulating her mark and his lips and teeth on her neck brought on her climax within a minute.

He felt her legs tighten around his hips. Instead of moaning, she only let out shaky breaths. He didn't like that - he wanted her screaming in pleasure. And he planned to make that happen before the day was through.

Once she relaxed, he asked, "You okay?"

She answered, smiling, "Yeah… more than okay… I'm…"

"Ready for more?" he smirked.

Her eyes widened just a little, "Already? You can… but how?"

He only answered by placing a quick peck on her lips. Then he sat up, brought her left leg up on his shoulder and kissed the inside of her ankle. The sight alone of his muscled chest and abs got her excited. As he started rocking into her and rubbing her sensitive clit, she gave an appreciative mewl.

She dared to move her right hand between them to cup his tightened sac. When he closed his eyes and let out a low grunt, she took that to mean he liked it and continued working him with her right hand and she cupped her breast with her left. She quickly reached her second orgasm. After another couple minutes of rocking his hips, his knot shrunk down just enough for him to pull out of her.

"We're only just starting," he said with a deviously sexy look, before pounding furiously into her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much to everyone for reading my silly little werewolf AU and all the encouraging feedback. You are all so great!
> 
> I just want to give you a heads up - this will be the ONLY update this month, and it's a toss-up on if I will be able to update next month. Between being busy with the holidays and some other writing projects (one of which is a Christmas exchange in the Inuyasha fandom), this will be temporarily paused. But rest assured, I still love this story and plan to return to regular updates in January.


	6. Chapter 6

That evening, after a third round of fucking, they both grew quite hungry. Sasuke opened the door to find a tray of food and a snarky note from Orochimaru saying he'd have his hired help leave their meals by the door so they wouldn't have to interrupt their sexy time.

As they ate, they talked. Mostly small talk at first, but then Sasuke asked a loaded question.

"Sakura, how many partners have you had?"

"Partners… you mean, like sexual partners?"

"Ah."

Because she was thrown off by the question, she had to pause a moment to bring her mind to answer the question correctly, "Um… three. One was just a fling. Two were a little more serious."

"Hn." He didn't let it show, but the idea of her sleeping with other men bothered him.

"...why? How many have you had?"

"None."

She gaped at him a moment, thinking, _Does he really think I'm going to believe he was a virgin before today? No virgin fucks like that!_ "I don't believe you."

"Why?"

"What do you mean 'why?" He just stared at her blankly. So she continued, "You can't seriously expect me to believe you're a virgin…"

"I'm not _now_ …"

"You know what I mean! With the way you are in bed, I'd think you have way more experience with girls than me!"

Silence filled the air for a good moment before Sasuke asked, "You have experience with girls?"

"No, that's not what I meant...stop trying to change the subject! I meant that you can't really expect me to believe you've never had sex before me, when you just gave me the best sex of my life!"

That exclamation boosted his ego, making him forget how just a moment ago he felt down learning about her past experiences. He smirked, and didn't try to hide the smug look in his eye when he said, "The best sex of your life, huh?"

"Don't get cocky! We were talking about our past experiences before all this... I still have my doubts that I'm your first."

Her disbelief bugged him, and then it occurred to him that she seemed to have broken out of the shell that was erected when she first received the mark. She no longer blindly trusted him. She was openly questioning him. The disregard for his word bothered the alpha in him, but he was glad to be seeing more of the true nature of his mate. And he acknowledged to himself that he'd have to actually work a little toward earning her trust in his word. "You wouldn't a week ago."

"Huh?"

"A week ago...you wouldn't doubt me…"

"Oh...I suppose that's true…does that bother you?"

He shrugged, "A little."

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

That got her thinking. She wasn't sorry for doubting him, or for expressing it. "Mmm...that it bothers you, I guess."

"Heh."

They shared a knowing look before moving on.

"So what's up with you and Orochimaru? You two seem to have a weird history…" Sakura asked.

Sasuke didn't particularly care to relive that part of his life at the moment, so he purposefully explained as vaguely as he could, "Oh yeah… when I was thirteen, I trained under him for a while. But then I realized he was a creep just using me for his own selfish interests. So I went back to Konoha. Kakashi trained me after that, and I eventually became part of ANBU."

After dinner, Sasuke pulled Sakura up into a ravishing kiss, pushing his tongue through to explore her mouth as he pressed her body against his. He pushed her against the wall and fucked her vertically.

Her legs wrapped tightly around him as he penetrated her, thrusting without abandon. She gripped the hair on the back of his head while panting into his neck. He left multiple bruises from his passionate kisses along her neck and shoulders, stopping to bite lightly along her mate mark.

He pulled out of her to turn her around, pushing her from against the wall as he entered her from behind. With his left hand he grabbed her throat, only gently squeezing. His right hand played with her breast. When he squeezed her nipple, she mewled and threw her head back against his shoulder.

"Fuck yeah," he grunted, loving when he emitted an erotic response from his ministrations.

When she bit her lip, he squeezed her nipple harder, tightened his grip on the front of her neck, and pushed a particularly hard thrust into her. Her eyes widened and she moaned softly, "Aaahh!"

He spoke seductively into her ear, "Don't you dare hold back. I want to hear you."

Then he moved his right hand down to rub her clit and simultaneously bit down hard on her mate mark. His hand on her nub and the bite immediately caused the coil within her to snap and her orgasm shot through her system. Her mouth fell open in a silent scream.

But he wasn't happy with that. He wanted to hear her scream his name in pleasure. He furiously thrust into her, rubbed circles on her bundle of nerves and kept his hand on her throat. Feeling like the stimulation was overloading her nerves, she begged, "Sasuke...please...I need a break…"

He growled dominantly in response, "Not until I hear you scream." His statement both unnerved and thrilled her. His voice was so sexy, and his demands just turned her on all the more. As he continued his harsh thrusts, she felt her climax building up again. Once it hit her, she made sure she didn't hold back. She clenched her fists against the wall and shouted, "Fuck! Sa...aahh...Sasuke...fuck!"

After nearly 20 seconds of incoherent sounds escaping her lips at a satisfactory volume, Sasuke finally let up. He knew his own climax was near, so he pulled out of her, and turned her around again and nearly threw her against the bed. Bent over, Sakura felt him penetrate her from behind again. He grabbed her hips and thrust into her fast and hard. Feeling him hit the deepest parts of her again and again, she clutched the bed sheets as she let out sobs of pleasure with each thrust. Finally, he reached his end and spilled his seed into her as he knotted her and fell over her body.

Somehow, they managed to climb onto the bed and rest in their embrace of him spooning her. As they lay curled into each other, a plethora of thoughts filled Sasuke's mind. He wanted to know Sakura better - more intimately. He wanted to know her deepest anxieties and insecurities, and make her feel safe in his presence. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to make a home for her. He knew without a shadow of a doubt he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Every other goal in his life paled in comparison to caring for her.

As Sakura began to doze off, she felt Sasuke pulled her tightly into him. She smiled and drifted off into peaceful sleep.

Sasuke woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. When he came back to the bed, seeing Sakura laying naked on her back, he couldn't stop the fueling desire to take her again. He climbed onto the bed and cupped her cheek.

"Sakura," he whispered, attempting to gently wake her up. It took a few tries before she finally stirred.

"Huh?" she mumbled sleepily with squinted eyes. As she started rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hand, she found herself being flipped over onto her stomach with her arms stretched above her head. "What the…" Lips kissing up her back alerted as to what was going on. "Mmph," she grumbled as she buried her head in the pillows.

When Sasuke reached the top of her back, he moved to kiss her ear before whispering into it, "Sakura."

Still fighting to stay asleep, she replied, "Mmhmm?"

He nibbled on her ear and said in a hushed voice, "Wake up."

"Mm-mm," she grumbled again through closed lips.

Then he nipped at her ear, eliciting a whine. He moved down to kiss her mark, causing her to gasp and open her eyes.

He whispered again, "Wake up Sakura."

Her only response was a soft "ah" because he parted her legs with his knee. The pressure to her womanhood aroused her. Then, at an agonizingly slow pace, he slipped a finger into her. When she tried to buck her hips back, he slipped out. She whined for a very different reason this time.

"Tell me what you want, Sakura."

 _Gosh, he's getting cocky_ , she thought. After _he_ woke _her_ up, he was trying to get her to beg for pleasure. What bugged her was that she was closer to giving in than she would like. At that moment, he had her pinned down and at his mercy. There was nothing she could do to tease him back. _One day, Sasuke Uchiha...just you wait...one day I'll get you back for this._

He started teasing her again, just barely slipping a digit in and out of her. "Mmm," she whined again. Very, very slowly he pushed two fingers in and curled them slightly, getting her worked up.

Then he stilled his fingers, leaving them buried inside her. "What do you want, Sakura?" he spoke seductively. She moaned and lightly tugged at her pinned arms. "You have to tell me."

She tried to stay resilient, but was slipping fast. He lightly pressed his lips to her scar, teasing her even more. She was slightly surprised he was able to hold off himself. Up until that point, he could barely contain himself, eager to jump right in.

What she didn't know was that Sasuke's resolve was nearly gone. Regardless of what she was about to say, he was ready to fuck her senseless. But as he lightly kissed her mate mark, she pleaded weakly, "Sasuke…"

"Yes, Sakura…"

"Mmm." She tried grinding her hips back into him, but he kept them locked in place with his weight, denying her the friction she was desperately trying to get.

"What do you _want_ , Sakura?" he demanded, tightening his grip on her wrists and just barely wiggling the fingers inside her.

She was never one to talk dirty, and she knew that's what he wanted. So she felt a little embarrassed as she barely choked the words out, "I want you…to fuck me..." His lips pressed a little harder on her mark, and he slipped his tongue out to gently lick the sensitive spot. She continued, "I want you to fuck me hard."

"Hmm," he hummed with a satisfied smirk. Then he roughly drove three fingers into her. He slowly pumped, reaching for her g-spot.

As he fingered her with an intense force, Sakura felt something she'd never felt before. A tingling sensation at her frontside. When he pulled his fingers out after a few minutes, her fluids were dripping down. He felt a sense of pride that he could get her so wet without having to bite her mate mark.

He wasted no time in pushing himself into her. He rested for a moment inside her to move her hands from above her head to pin them once again, but behind her back. He was in total control, and she relished in his dominance. For several minutes he thrust into her, eventually forcing her hips down so she was nearly laying flat against the bed. Then, while staying buried deep inside her, he repositioned her legs so that they were pushed together. He straddled her thighs and felt her walls tighten around his cock in the new position. The intensified friction caused Sakura to moan and mewl.

Seeing the beautiful woman beneath him, completely letting herself go under his control, made him feel proud. He wanted her closer, so he pulled her up so that her back was flush against his frontside. He cupped her breast as he continued to hold her wrists together. Though he wasn't reaching quite as deep inside her, she loved feeling his body pressed against hers.

But he didn't stay there long. He slowed down, and eventually pulled out of her. He flipped her over onto her back once again. Sitting back on his haunches, he brought her left foot to rest on his right shoulder. He played with her clit as he pushed himself into her. It didn't take long for her to reach her orgasm, arching her back and writhing beautifully. Then he lay over her, caging her in between his bent arms, and pumped his hips furiously until he reached his release - ending by knotting her.

After letting out a few heavy breaths, Sakura said in a teasing, though slightly serious, tone, "Knotting is way less awkward when you do it from behind, you know…"

She expected a quip or a "hn," in response, but instead he looked at her with the most intense look in his eye. She tilted her head slightly in confusion, and just as she was about to question him, she was caught off guard.

"I love you."

To her, the statement came across an intentional thought in his smooth, deep and utterly alluring voice.

To him, however, it felt like he blurted out his feelings in the least romantic way possible. But as he had been growing to know her deeper, and constantly being in the throws of passion with her the past couple days, it was building up too much. Finally saying it felt like such a relief. And he meant it. He wanted to protect and care for her. He wanted to do everything right by her.

A smile slowly lit up Sakura's face as she started to say it back, "I…" but before she could even lift her tongue to her teeth to say "love," his hand covered her mouth. Again, confusion crossed her face.

He quickly explained, "Don't say it back - not yet. Wait until all of the initial effects of the mark wear off."

Immediately, Sakura understood. He didn't want her to feel compelled to express something she didn't truly feel. He wanted it to be her, completely her. Not a hormone driven, fleeting fancy.

She nodded her agreement, but scrunched her lips together under his hand as she internally scoffed at the hypocrisy: he was saying it when in the midst of his own, hormone crazed rut, but wouldn't let her reciprocate out of fear or her doing the same thing.

He kissed her and flipped their positions. She settled down with her head resting to the side on her crossed arms propped on his chest. She drifted off pondering about how her life had totally been uprooted, and she really didn't care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I finished writing this story, it's got 8 more chapters. I got sidetracked with other things and kinda lost my motivation with this one, so please don't hold your breath for a great ending. But since several of you said you liked it, I wanted to at least carry it through to the end instead of abandoning it. I hope everyone is doing well! Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not proofed, so please forgive any errors.

The second day of Sasuke's rut, he and Sakura came together in a variety of positions on nearly every surface of the room, using the salve/lubrication concoction every time to ensure her body was adjusting to him. The only other consistency was his dominance, to which Sakura was powerless in succumbing to. The few times she would feign a battle for control, she was rewarded with her smirking, smouldering mate taking over and ravishing her with such pleasure that she would see stars. On the third morning, his hormones were finally waning.

"We both really need to shower," Sakura said as they lay in bed that morning, already having had a tamer session of intercourse.

"You mean the two showers we had yesterday weren't enough?" Sasuke asked before kissing down along her shoulder and clavicle.

"Um, not since we had sex several times afterwards. You wolves may be okay going about your day smelling like sweat and sex, but as a human woman with some dignity, I'd prefer to smell fresh and clean."

He lightly nipped at her nipple, eliciting a small gasp from her, as a teasing reprimand to her sass and responded, "Hn, annoying."

She started to roll off the bed, but he just pulled back under him and crashed his lips to hers. He humped her, rubbing his length along her front. She lightly struggled, and when she managed to break away from the kiss, she said with a smile, "I'm serious. I feel so gross."

He effortlessly pushed his cock into her without any resistance because she was still soaked from their first time that morning. "You are many things, Sakura. But gross is not one of them."

As he lazily pushed back and forth into her, she traced his pecs, smiling at his sweet words. "You know what I mean."

He smiled softly and pecked her cheek. "Fine, I'll let you go… but only if I can join you."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course. Didn't that go without saying?"

Before he pulled out, he gave her one hard thrust and nipped her neck. Sakura choked back a gasp. She was getting cheekier, bolder. And he was finding himself falling for her harder than ever.

As they started to shower, Sakura finally voiced what had been on the back of her mind the past couple days. "So where do we go from here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, what do our lives look like now that we're actually together?"

Sasuke pondered the question. It was a fair one. And it brought his mind back to reality, reminding him of his revenge mission for his brother. "What do _you_ want for us moving forward?"

"I don't know. To be honest, I'm really confused. How will Lady Tsunade respond to knowing we failed in finding a way to undo our mating bond? Will she kick you out of Konoha? We can't live in the city, so would we be forced to live in a log cabin raising a bunch of werewolf babies in isolation?" When he just smirked at her outburst, she felt a desire to defend herself, but couldn't contain her smile. "What? I'm not crazy, these are legitimate concerns."

He pulled her into a quick hug and kissed the top of her forehead before pulling away, but he kept a hold of her hands. "First of all, Tsunade will just have to get over it. Second, she's hokage, not a dictator. She couldn't kick me out of Konoha even if she wanted to. That's not how our government works. Third, do you really think you'd keep your sanity living out your life in the woods with no one but me and pups for company?"

She looked at him sheepishly, "I would miss people. As much as I lo… iiikee being with you, I like being around other people too."

"Exactly."

"So I guess that means I move in with you?"

"Unless you really wanted to live in the city."

"Really? As a werewolf, it's okay for you to live among humans?"

He quirked his brow, "Sakura…" When she just looked at him blankly, he continued. "Can't you think of another werewolf who 'lived among humans' for a time?"

Then it dawned on her, "Naruto! Of course! It's still weird to me. He was just the goofy kid next door. So… you'd really move to the city with me?"

"If that's what you really want…" _but there's something I really need to do first._

Sakura was touched that he would be willing to sacrifice his home for her. And then it dawned on her that he never so much as mentioned any family in the short time she'd known and lived with him. Which made her approach the subject with caution, "Hey Sasuke… do you… is there no family keeping you in Konoha?"

He was silent for a while, and Sakura could sense his deep sorrow. "No. Naruto and Kakashi are the closest things I have to family… except for you now. So if you want to live in the city, we can."

She felt guilty for bringing it up, causing him to feel so sad. Being naked together in the shower was obviously not the best time to pursue the subject. She hoped he would be ready and willing to open up with her of his own accord soon. So she remained focused on the subject at hand, "I don't really have anything going for me back there. It's kinda strange, but I think I feel more at home in Konoha. I'd already have friends in Naruto and Hinata, and part of me thinks I can get along well with Lady Tsunade… that is if she can be okay with our mating."

"So we'll live in Konoha," he said as he pulled her into his arms. He kissed her for a passionate minute before whispering seductively in her ear, "Mate."

Without preamble, he turned her around, bit down on her mark to cause her body to lube itself, bent her over the shower bench and took her from behind. After bringing her to orgasm by stimulating her clit while riding her hard, he finished by knotting her.

Sakura gasped, "What the hell, Sasuke?" She was still catching her breath too much to voice her other thoughts, along the lines of - _What the hell are we supposed to do stuck together in the shower like this for the next 20 minutes?!_

In response, he growled and smacked her backside hard enough to leave a small welt.

Sakura let out a small yelp in surprise. "You… you just spanked me!"

Sasuke might've quipped back with a dominating retort except that he could immediately sense that she was genuinely off-put by it. His heart sank a little, feeling slightly embarrassed. "You, uh, didn't like that, huh?"

She dipped her head and chuckled, "Not particularly, no."

"I'm sorry."

He lightly kissed along her mark, sending soothing sensations down her body. They managed to ride out the swell of his knot with her awkwardly, though fairly comfortably, sitting on him perched on the shower bench.

After they washed and dressed, they made their way out of their room in search of Orochimaru for more details on werewolf/human bonding. They quickly found him yet again in the banquet hall, talking on his cell phone. He silently acknowledged them while he wrapped up his conversation.

Once he hung up, he greeted them, "Welcome back love birds. How are we feeling today?"

Sasuke just gave his typical "hn," while Sakura jumped right in, "We have questions."

"Yes, yes we'll get to that. First tell me… how was it? Did my solution work?"

"Yes, it worked fine," Sakura supplied, eager to change the subject away from her sex life and onto finding out her much needed answers. "So this mark, just how does it work, exactly?"

"Oh fine, fine. Skip the fun stuff. So when lover boy here," Sasuke rolled his eyes at that, "bit you, your body immediately started growing a gland at that spot. All werewolves have said gland, but it functions differently between alphas, betas and omegas. Since you're human, your body responded to Sasuke's 'love bite' by growing the gland. Besides enabling your cells to heal and regenerate at supernatural speed, it also responds directly to Sasuke's hormones, especially through bites."

"So that's why I was so tired for those first couple weeks? My body was growing a supernatural gland right here?" she gestured to the spot on her shoulder.

"Well the gland itself generated immediately. Thus all its effects were instantaneous. But it needed a couple weeks to… level out and for your body to adjust."

"I see. So, this gland… you said it responds to my mate's hormones. Is this just sexual hormones? Or are there other ways the hormones can affect me?"

Orochimaru tapped his nose with his index finger. "Now _that_ is the million dollar question. In fact, it's responsive to all kinds of hormones. The most obvious is when he bites you when sexually aroused. As you've experienced, you automatically become aroused too. Your body may also respond similarly if he bites you when he's happy or pleased with you. Another response to this includes a boost in self-esteem. If he bites you when he's feeling somber, bleak or any other number of depressing things, you'll empathize and feel a need to pour all your efforts into comforting him."

A pregnant pause filled the room before Sakura asked, "And if he bites me when he's mad?"

He got a glint in his eye as he answered, "Much of this depends on exactly how mad he is. But regardless of who his anger is directed towards, you'll likely feel an overwhelming desire to submit and do whatever it takes to please him. Similar to how you felt that first week of being mated I imagine."

Sakura scrunched her lips. Learning that was a little unsettling because she did not like how she felt so strange and not herself that first week and a half. But the very idea of Sasuke taking advantage of her like that felt like an impossibility. She couldn't even fathom him trying to do something like that to her.

Orochimaru continued, "This is certainly an issue among many werewolf and human couples."

"What?!" Sakura and Sasuke said in unison, though Sakura's came out more of an exclamation than Sasuke.

Orochimaru let out a maniacal sounding laugh as he said, "You two really didn't think you were the only ones, did you?" Sakura gaped and Sasuke scowled at him. "Maybe not in your precious Konoha, but other werewolf societies did not hold to such archaic laws of prohibiting werewolf/human relations."

"So there's others out there like us?" Sakura asked.

"That's right."

"But you said werewolves biting their human mates in anger is a common issue… It sounds like a way of controlling them to bend them to their will…"

"Right again."

Sakura was getting angrier as she was putting the pieces together, "So it's common for werewolves to go out and find humans to use and abuse how they see fit? Regardless of how they're actually treating them?"

"See you don't even need me. You're doing pretty well on your own at figuring out how it all works."

"How it all works?! It's despicable! They shouldn't be getting away with treating people like that!"

Orochimaru seemed amused at her emphatic response. He turned to Sasuke to say, "You know, I do believe that if your pinkette here was born a werewolf, she would be an alpha. Maybe even have given you a run for your money."

Sakura spoke up again, "I don't understand. I was very obviously the only human in Konoha…"

"Ah, yes, the most superstitious of the werewolf societies," Orochimaru mused.

"What do you mean 'superstitious'?" Sasuke finally voiced.

"Do you even know how that silly little legend came about that werewolves devour any humans they mate with?" Sakura stared expectantly and Sasuke minutely shook his head no. So the sly man continued, "Centuries ago, before Konoha was even established, there was a band of werewolves ravaging the countryside. Pillaging, raping, and killing as they please without a second thought as to the devastation they caused. Real beasts they were. Anyway, your beloved Hashirama, founder of Konoha, managed to form a pack and squash down the band of beasts. When he established the Leaf Village and became its first Hokage, he mandated it to be illegal to mate with humans because of the devastation werewolves had caused to human society. To help validate his law, he spread tales of the dangers humans faced if mated with werewolves, and through the years those tales snowballed into the ridiculous notion that the canines become so feral during coitus that the human body just can't handle it. Though it is true that Sasuke here will likely never be able to fully let loose. And of course will now never know that joy of relations in werewolf form… unless you agree to an open relationship, but that's none of my business. Anywho, ever since Hashirama's time, your sheltered little town has been sadly deprived of the human population, until now. Fortunately, the other villages never cared to give much weight to such myths."

" _Other_ villages? There's more werewolf societies?" Sakura asked.

"Why yes, of course. My, my, Sasuke, you really need to step it up and educate your mate on these things."

Sasuke just growled in irritation, not voicing that he hadn't anticipated maintaining his bond with Sakura and thus saw no need to tell her _everything_ about werewolves.

And heavy silence settled over for them for a minute before Orochimaru piped up, "So, any other questions I can answer for you."

Surprising the other two, Sasuke questioned, "Why doesn't the bond allow us to communicate telepathically?"

Orochimaru answered, "Simply put - because she's still human. At best, you can pick up on each other's vibes and make a fairly educated guess on what the other is actually thinking. But besides healing supernaturally quickly, having keener senses, and maybe having slightly increased strength and stamina, she's still human. That won't change."

"Hn." _Annoying_. _Communicating telepathically could have been very beneficial._

Another pregnant pause filled the room before Sakura looked at Sasuke and said, "So what do we do now?"

Sasuke sighed and responded, "We go home."

Of course, Orochimaru had to speak up. His voice was really starting to grate on Sasuke's nerves. "Or... you could make another little trip while you're out."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not proofed or edited. Sorry guys :/

Sasuke and Sakura stayed another three days at the bunker before heading out on the next, impromptu leg of their trip. Before consulting them, Orochimaru had arranged for them to visit some of Sasuke's friends in the Rain Village. Sasuke was thoroughly annoyed at the old man for overstepping, but he had to admit it could prove useful to him if they had managed to acquire any more information on the Akatsuki.

Sakura thought the idea of meeting more of Sasuke's friends sounded fun, and hoped they could help her know more about her newly beloved - not that he would let her say it just yet, despite her confidence that she felt completely back to her old self. Inwardly Sakura wondered if they had met under different circumstances, if she would have been forward with Sasuke all on her own. Of course she could only speculate on that matter.

As they travelled, Sasuke spent a lot more time talking than he preferred, since he had to answer many questions and explain different aspects of the werewolf world to her. In fact, ever since Sakura had shown up he'd had to do a lot more talking than he typically did. He looked forward to when they could go back home and spend their free time lounging on the couch watching TV… _crap, she's probably going to want to go out a lot or entertain people..._ he smirked at himself for momentarily wanting exhausted, insecure Sakura back. _No, I'm blessed to have someone so strong-willed...even if it does mean suffering through more socializing than I would like._

"Hey Sasuke…" Sakura started to venture cautiously one evening as they ate dinner, "Is it okay for me to ask about your family? It's totally fine if you don't want to talk about it."

Sasuke was silent for a very long minute. His sadness and anger were palpable. Just as Sakura was about to apologize for bringing it up, he spoke solemnly, "When I was ten, my entire clan, from the youngest pup to the oldest wolf, was slaughtered. It happened in the night, when everyone was asleep. I found my own parents lying dead in a pool of their own blood. The only body not found was my older brother, Itachi's. But his scent was everywhere. All of the evidence says he's responsible for the massacre."

Sakura listened intently and was horrified to hear of Sasuke enduring such suffering. It would be terrible to go through something like that at any age, let alone at the young and vulnerable age of ten.

Sasuke continued, "It was after that that Naruto and I bonded. We both started training to become elite warriors for the village. His goal, which he's still striving toward, was to become Hokage like his father. Mine was not so noble - I worked so I could one day track down my brother and kill him."

He said it with such ease, but Sakura couldn't blame him.

"The day you found me, I told you the man I was chasing was a member of the crime syndicate known as the Akatsuki. But I didn't tell you that I have reason to believe my brother joined the Akatsuki shortly after fleeing Konoha. I was chasing Deidara in hopes that he would lead me to my brother."

The revelation filled Sakura with guilt. "So had I not shown up, you could possibly have found your brother by now," she said downcast.

"Possibly. But I was poisoned before you showed up, so regardless I would've had to return home to get treated for that. There's no way of knowing if I could've tracked Deidara down again or not, so don't start blaming yourself."

Her conscience was only slightly eased at his words.

"My friends that we're visiting in the Rain Village - we all met as students under Orochimaru. It didn't take us long that he was more invested in researching and experimenting than actually helping us. So they agreed to help me search for my brother. For nearly two years, we followed every lead, turned over every stone, anything to find him. We came close, but eventually it all proved futile. They still keep their eyes and ears open for anything, though. "

 _Wow, they sound like amazing friends. I'm even more eager to meet them now...and a little intimated._ "I see. So are you hoping they'll have some useful intel from them when we get there?"

"I doubt it. But it's still worth checking."

"And if they do have an actual lead to follow?"

"I…"

"You have to go after it, right?"

"... would you be alright with that?"

"I mean, I don't love the idea of you risking your life to chase your psychotic, murderous brother. But I get that it's something that you have to do. I wish I could go with you, but I know I'd only be a distraction for you."

"What about separation anxiety? Like you had at the beginning of all this. I don't want you to have to suffer…"

"I've already said I'm back to my normal self, so I really don't think that'll be a problem. Besides, I've been thinking, what if I could learn about werewolf medicinal practice from Lady Tsunade? If she would agree, then I could keep busy with that. And I'm sure Naruto and Hinata will help me if I need it."

"Are you sure about all this Sakura?"

"Sasuke, anytime your family has been brought up, I can sense the emotions it stirs in you. I know you'll never be at peace until you have some closure. And the only way you'll get that is if you find your brother."

He smiled at her and said, "Well, I still doubt that they'll have any viable leads, but on the off chance they do, I'll take you back home and set off."

She smiled back and said, "Good….I just wish you could carry a phone with you. I think that'll be the worst part is having no way to contact you."

"Actually, there is… it's a bit old fashioned, but I have a messenger hawk we can use to send messages back and forth." Sakura's eyes lit up at that. "I'll have to be vague, no specifics on where I am or how much progress I'm making, just in case Akatsuki or Itachi himself intercept the hawk. But at least you'll know I'm safe."

Sakura was grateful to know they wouldn't be completely separated whenever the time came for him to go after his brother. _Damn, if only I were a werewolf, I could go and help him!...That's a sentence I never thought I would think seriously._

"Sakura...I want to ask you something…"

"Of course."

"About what Orochimaru said happens with werewolves biting their human mates when angry to control them… do you fear I would do something like that?"

"To be honest, it didn't even really cross my mind that you would do that… why do you ask? Do _you_ fear you would do that?"

"I plan to never do anything like that. I have no desire to control or stifle you. But I… want to make sure you know that. And tell me if you don't start feeling scared…"

Sakura walked over to him and sat in his lap, straddling his waist. He leaned back on his hands while she cupped his face and said, "I can't imagine ever being scared of you, Sasuke Uchiha," and leaned in for a small kiss.

"I could rip to pieces in a heartbeat." There was no threat in his statement, just relaying a fact to counter her declaration.

She smiled, "But you won't." Then she leaned down to kiss along his jaw up to his ear, then whispered, "Plus… it's kind of a turn on." She pulled back to look at him and bit her lower lip with an innocent smile.

He looked at her with narrowed eyes quickly filling with want. He sat up straight, slipped his hands under her shirt and gripped her sides. "Oh really?"

"Mmhmm," she nodded.

He abruptly flipped them over, Sakura flat on her back as he hovered over her. He began sucking and grazing his teeth along her neck. "The threat of being eaten turns you on, huh?"

He gave her a soft nip at her collarbone, eliciting a small gasp from her. "It's the idea that you could, but knowing you won't - that's the turn on."

"You sure about that?" he peppered love bites down her chest. "I think you'd make for a tasty meal." She giggled as he made his way between her legs to demonstrate exactly what he meant.

During their week-long journey, Sasuke refused to knot Sakura during intercourse on account of not wanting them to be vulnerable to any kind of foe or predatory animal that could be lurking around.

One night as they cuddled after their love-making, Sakura asked, "So, were you really holding back, even during your rut?"

"Huh?" he responded, not at all expecting that question at that moment.

"You know… like Orochimaru said… that you still had to hold back. Being with me means you can't have sex as… I don't know… wildly? Maybe? As you would like to?"

"Uh...yeah, I guess there's some truth to that."

She turned toward him and propped up to lay on his chest with her chin resting on her folded hands, looking directly at him. "Do you… do werewolves have intercourse in wolf form?"

He blinked. "Yeah."

"So by being mated to me, there's some things you'll never get to experience that most other werewolves do..." Sakura said with a slight tone of sadness.

He paused before answering in a very sincere-sounding tone, "Unless you want us to have an open relationship."

Her heart dropped. She lifted herself from his chest and looked at him in betrayed shock. But her panic quickly subsided when a smile crept across his face. She smacked his chest and said, "Don't joke like that! I thought you were serious."

"Heh, that's what you get for wallowing."

"I wasn't wallowing! I just feel bad that I'm the reason you can't have all the sexual experiences of a typical werewolf."

"Sakura, do you hear yourself? You're wallowing. You just said _you_ feel bad. I never said I feel bad about it." She hung her head at being called out. "I'd rather be with you and hold back a little than be with anyone else and whatever other 'typical sexual experience of a werewolf' comes along with that. So stop worrying about it."

"Alright," she relented reluctantly. "If you say so, I'll stop."

"Good… and for what it's worth, everyone prefers sex in human form. There's more options that way."

Sakura giggled at that and enjoyed being snuggled up to him for a few minutes before he shifted. Whenever they slept, he did so in wolf form. Sakura had never been one to sleep with her pets growing up because she did not like the feel of fur against her skin for so long. So she was surprised how easy it was for her to sleep soundly nestled up against him in fur form.

Fortunately Orochimaru supplied them with the necessary attire for the journey to the Rain Village. Just as its name suggested, it was pouring down as they got closer to the village. Walking through the village streets gave Sakura a Las Vegas vibe, at least what she imagined from movies and TV shows. She had never actually been to Sin City herself. The vast majority of the crowd was in human form, wearing rain cloaks. She guessed that the werewolves didn't care for the feel of drenched fur.

Sasuke hadn't actually been to the Rain Village either, so he had to consult the map (because the werewolf villages weren't on any GPS apps) that Orochimaru provided with a mark indicating the bar where his friends typically hung out. It took some time navigating the large, city-like village in the rain, but they found the bar with relative ease.

The bar was large with a modern, night club-like aesthetic. Even though it was busy, it wasn't too loud. They bypassed the tables to sit at the bar. Sasuke asked the barkeep if he knew if Suigetsu was around.

"Hold on, I'll go get him," the man replied.

A couple minutes later, the slender, white-haired man appeared behind the counter. "Sasuke! I didn't think you'd actually come!" He turned to eye Sakura, took one sniff of the air, then looked back at Sasuke with wide eyes, "I was shocked to hear you mated… but I didn't realize it was with a human!"

Sasuke feigned annoyance, but the small curve up at the edge of his lips betrayed his good-nature. "Are you just going to stand there and balk, or are you going to get us some drinks?"

"Haha! Here I was thinking you'd changed, but I see you're still the same old cantankerous bastard." He turned back to Sakura, "The name's Suigetsu. What's your poison?"

Sakura smiled brightly and said, "It's nice to meet you Suigetsu. I'm Sakura. I'll take a strawberry margarita."

"Coming right up!" he started mixing.

"Hey, what about me?" Sasuke asked.

Suigetsu waved him off, "You can't ask nicely, you just have to wait!"

"Hn." Sakura giggled at their short-lived banter.

After giving Sakura her drink, without even asking, Suigetsu prepared two 'Scotch and cokes' for Sasuke and himself.

"Man oh man, I can't wait 'til Karin sees this - Sasuke mated...and with a human. She's gonna freak!"

"What? Why would she freak?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes when Suigetsu erupted in laughter and said, "Let's just say we all thought Sasuke was ace, and Karin will be the most disappointed to learn that's not true."

Sakura got a ping of jealousy and gave Sasuke a confused, questioning look.

"Just ignore him. He exaggerates things," he said and rested his arm on the back of her chair.

"Psh. At least I'm not a boring grouch like you."

"Hey, what's a man gotta do to get a drink around here?!" a customer a few seats away raised his voice in frustration.

"Sorry about that man, I'll be right with you!" Suigetsu answered, then turned back to the two, "Hey, I gotta finish my shift. Let's meet up with the rest of the gang here tomorrow night."

Sasuke nodded in agreement and asked, "Where's a good place to stay around here?"

Suigetsu quickly gave him the information for a nice hotel nearby and left them to serve the new wave of customers that came in.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unproofed and unedited. So sorry!

Sasuke and Sakura had checked into their hotel and took turns showering, wanting to enjoy feeling clean and fresh after their week of traveling, with Sakura especially wanting to take her time under the hot, relaxing water.

As she was getting settled for the night, Sakura wondered about Sasuke's interaction with Suigetsu. Then she thought back to how he was with Naruto and Hinata, and noted it seemed he had a fairly stand-offish demeanor with most people, not just Orochimaru. But she'd also really only known her mate for a month, and half of that time she'd been in a weird state of mind. So she wasn't sure.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You seem…. distracted. What's on your mind?"

Sakura didn't want to voice her observation just yet. She first wanted to meet his other friends and see how he was with them. So she just shrugged it off, "Oh nothing. Just tired I guess."

He narrowed his eyes at her and pressed, "That's not it. What're you thinking about?"

She climbed into bed and flashed him a sly smile, saying, "Why do you want to know so bad, huh?"

He was finishing up drying off and putting on some deodorant as he said, "Because… you're my mate… it's only natural for me to want to know what you're thinking…"

"Well you can't always know what I'm thinking. That would take away all the fun and mystery."

He asked skeptically, "Mystery? Why do we need mystery?"

He got onto the bed, crawling to hover over her and give her a small kiss. When he pulled back to look at her, he smiled pridefully knowing she was feeling turned on.

She had no trouble reading his expression and said, "You see, you always know my emotions. That's something I'll never be able to hide or cover up. So the least I can have is some private thoughts."

"Hn…" he kissed her again, with a little more fervor, before saying, "You know my emotions too. And you can ask me what I'm thinking anytime you want, and I'll tell you."

He started to kiss and nip along her neck and collarbone. "Is that so?", she asked as she started to feel up his naked torso and back.

"Mmmhmm," he mumbled before pinning her hands above her hand, never taking his lips off her body.

An idea suddenly popped in her head, "Fine, I'll tell you...I was thinking you could let me be the dominant one for once…"

That comment got his attention. He pulled back and looked at her in surprise. "What?" His alpha nature was caught off guard by statement, and he had no idea what to make of it.

She wiggled her pinned hands a little bit, silently asking him to let go. When he did, she placed them on his chest and said, "You know, like you could let me pin your hands down for once."

"I…" The notion went against his nature, and he didn't like it. But he could also sense that she was NOT joking. And he wanted to please her. "Is that what you really want?"

She pushed to flip their positions and straddle him - an action only achieved because he reluctantly let her. "I'd like to at least try. Why? Does it scare you to be at my mercy?"

He had an amused grin, knowing she was definitely joking now. "You can be a scary lady, Sakura."

She moved to 'pin' his hands above his head and teased him with a soft kiss, just barely crossing her tongue between his lips. With one hand on his wrists, she reached her other hand down between them to stroke his penis. It didn't take long to get him hard. Then she proceeded to grind her hips, teasing him at her entrance but not letting him inside.

Sasuke quickly grew impatient. He promptly freed his hands and flipped them back over.

Sakura giggled and said, "Couldn't even last a minute, could you?"

"Mmm," he growled, "not when you're being a tease."

He wasted no time in thrusting into her. He took her at a merciless, relentless pace. The friction was more intense when he didn't bite her mark before penetrating her. He thought about flipping her - it was always easier to be knotted from behind - but he just loved to look at her face while he gave her a good fuck. Her eyes hooded, lips parted, brows creased as she felt her release building up. She was gorgeous in the throes of passion.

A few minutes of playing with her sensitive nub brought on her orgasm, and he followed her not long after, pushing his knot into place to lock them together. Then he shifted them onto their sides, trying a new position to see if it would be more restful.

Her upper leg rested on top of his, but he wasn't sure about this as she kept wiggling to get herself comfortable. When she finally seemed to find a good position, he threaded his hands in her hair.

"I love you, Sakura," he spoke out breathily.

"I l - mmf," before Sakura could finish the sentiment Sasuke put his hand over her mouth and shook his head.

"Not yet."

She scowled at him, removed his hand and asked, "Why not? We both know that I'm completely myself. So why won't you let me say?"

"Because…" _Because I've taken everything from you. Your whole life has been uprooted because of me. And now you're being dragged into my burdensome life._ "Because you're giving up everything for me… And I have nothing to give you in return but these words…"

She met his gaze and sighed. Hearing him say it like that, she didn't know how to respond. She felt like she hadn't given up much but instead gained a new, better home with him. Recalling her short time with Hinata and Naruto, walking through Konoha, and evenings snuggling up to Sasuke on the couch - it all felt so right. But she could tell he still felt guilty for everything, and so if it was important to him to be the sole speaker of those words between them for now, she would let him have that.

Sasuke and Sakura sat at a table waiting for the others to show up. Sakura noticed Suigetsu walk in with a red-haired woman wearing glasses that she assumed was Karin. When they approached their table, Karin quickly looked shocked when she took notice of Sakura.

"Is that… a mate mark?!" she exclaimed, pointing to the scar on Sakura's neck.

Suigetsu burst out laughing. "And that's not even the best part! Take a good sniff."

Karin moved closer to Sakura and sniffed. Her eyes widened in utter shock. "A _human_?!" She looked at Sasuke. "You _mated_...a _human_!"

Suigetsu continued to laugh hysterically. Sakura sat confused, not understanding what was so funny. Sasuke was clearly unamused. Karin quickly grew irate and gave Suigetsu a solid punch on the arm.

"Ow!" Suigetsu exclaimed.

"Shut up, idiot! You're being obnoxious!"

"Where's Jugo?" Sasuke asked, sounding bored.

"I'm not really sure," Suigetsu supplied. "I think he's off on some mission or something."

"Hn."

Karin looked to Sakura again as she sat down at the table, "I'm sorry about that. I just never expected… I was just surprised is all."

Sakura smiled, "That's alright. I'm Sakura."

"Karin. Nice to meet you, Sakura," Karin said with a smile of her own.

The four - well mostly three - spent some time making small talk. Sakura explained how she and Sasuke got together, which naturally led into Sasuke's search for the Akatsuki. From there Suigetsu and Karin talked about their time teaming up with Sasuke in search of Itachi.

Sakura appreciated learning about their time together, but it really illuminated to her just how much she had interrupted Sasuke's life. He had a mission - his life's purpose to avenge his clan. And by getting in the way, she stopped him from pursuing Deidara and closer to finding his brother.

Karin's sudden invitation for some girl time cut short her thoughts, "What do you say, Sakura? Let's ditch the testosterone for a bit and hit the town."

Sakura perked up at the idea, but immediately dejected when Sasuke expressed his doubt, "I don't know if that's a good idea…"

"Why not? Don't trust me to take care of your girl?" Karin asked.

"You know that's not it," Sasuke said, "But this isn't Konoha… it's not as safe…"

Sakura and Karin managed to convince Sasuke to be okay going out for a few hours midday the next day.

As the two females walked about the Rain Village, Sakura started to see just how different it was from Konoha. The laws were obviously more lax as the streets were filled with all kinds of sketchy happenings - from

"Did Suigetsu say something the other day?"

Sakura chuckled, "Yeah, he made it seem like you and Sasuke had something in the past."

"That idiot. Yeah, I did have a crush on him. I asked him out a couple times, he turned me down. That's the end of it. But Suigetsu likes drama, that bastard."

"Haha I see. So you and Suigetsu aren't together?"

"Hell no! We hook up from time to time when we're bored, but we would kill each other if we were dating."

Sakura laughed at that. After a few moments, she asked, "So did Sasuke really never date anyone?"

"That's right. I heard from Hinata that when he was younger, a lot of girls were buzzing around him. But after his clan was struck down, he became hyper-focused on avenging them. He was a loner, shut himself off from everyone. I guess that scared off any of the girls hoping to be with him."

Sakura pondered that time of his life, wondering how painful that must've been. "So you helped him hunt down his brother, right?"

"That's right. We got real close a couple times. But Itachi always eluded us. That bastard. Anyway, we eventually went our separate ways, but we still correspond with Sasuke whenever we catch word of the Akatsuki. I was the one who tipped him off about Deidara's whereabouts."

Sakura listened intently, taking in every word Karin said. After a minute of silence passed between them, Karin let out a 'heh'. Sakura shot her a questioning look.

"I think you're good for him, Sakura. You give him something else to live for besides vengeance."

"Sasuke… what do you plan to do when you find your brother?"

"... I'm going to kill him…"

"I know...I mean… are you going to ask him why he did it?"

Sasuke stared off for a bit before answering, "For a long time I wanted to ask him that. But I've come to the conclusion that no answer will satisfy me. Regardless of whatever he'd say, it doesn't change that fact that he's a heartless, cold-blooded psychotic murderer. So, no. I don't plan on asking him first."

Sakura couldn't blame him for that decision. Hearing him talk about it, the pain and anger lacing his voice, really got her thinking about the trauma he had to endure. Everything in his life up to the point he met her had been about vengeance. And she felt guilty for hindering his mission - a mission she whole-heartedly agreed with. When he pressed her to talk about her thoughts, she quickly confessed her reflections and apologized for interrupting his life and being so utterly useless to him.

"Stop that," he chastised her. "Thanks to you, I now have so much more of a life to look forward after I've killed him. So no more talk about being useless, got it?"

She smiled, "Got it!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for any errors or discrepancies.

The next day, Sakura and Sasuke met up with Karin and Suigetsu at the bar. About an hour into their visit, a large, orange haired man walked up to them.

Suigetsu greeted him loudly, "Jugo! It's about time you joined us!"

Jugo only acknowledged him with a blink before leaning down so only Sasuke could hear, "I have some news. Can we talk?"

Sasuke nodded and the two of them went over to another table a few yards away from the others. It was just enough distance that they could speak privately but he felt close enough to maintain Sakura's safety.

While Suigetsu and Karin filled Sakura in about Jugo and some of his strange mannerisms, Jugo informed Sasuke of some details on the Akatsuki's location, including a promising lead on his brother. They were close. And this was a golden opportunity to catch up to them. But he couldn't exactly take his human mate with him, and he couldn't just leave her there either.

Sasuke cursed his predicament. Then he got up and approached the other table with Jugo right behind him.

"Suigetsu," he started in an authoritative tone, immediately catching the blonde's attention, "Can you get off work for a while?"

"Yeah, boss. What's up?"

He seemed surprisingly compliant to Sakura, and she picked up on the fact that something serious was going on.

"I need you to go after a lead for me while I take Sakura home. I'll catch up with you as soon as I can."

"What's going on Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"We have some intel that could take me to my brother," he answered. "And we need to act fast."

"Then you go with him now," she said.

"No," he asserted forcefully.

"You have to do this. I'll be safe here with Karin -"

"And Jugo," the red-head added. "We'll both make sure she gets home safe, Sasuke. I promise."

He looked at all of them skeptically, torn between Sakura and vengeance. He trusted Karin and Jugo just as much as he trusted Naruto and Hinata, but he didn't like this city. Konoha was well guarded and safe enough for her to walk around without protection. But the same most definitely could not be said for the Rain Village. He hated the idea of abandoning Sakura here, but pursuing his brother won out in the end.

"Alright," he said reluctantly. "Suigetsu, you and I will go after the Akatsuki. Jugo, Karin, guard her with your lives. If anything happens to her…"

"Yes, sir," Jugo answered obediently.

At the same time, Karin said, "Yeah, yeah, we know. Trust us, we're _not_ going to let anyone touch her. She'll stay with me tonight, and we'll leave for your precious Leaf Village first thing in the morning."

"Okay." Sasuke turned to Sakura and pulled her in for a tight hug. He spoke in her ear, "I'll come back for you as soon as I can."

She squeezed him tight and said, "I know. You do what you have to do. I'll see you soon."

He pulled her tighter to him for a quick moment. With that, he and Suigetsu left.

Sakura felt a little anxious about being apart from her mate, but she also felt strongly that he needed to follow that lead. It helped that she fit in naturally with Karin and Jugo. She spent the night at Karin's place, and the next morning they hit a little breakfast diner before heading out to Konoha.

As they passed by an alley on their way out, Jugo stopped suddenly saying he heard something. The three went to check it out. Sakura noticed something behind a dumpster - and upon further inspection saw that it was a little boy, huddled with his knees pulled to his chest and scared out of his wits. He looked to be about three years old, four at the most.

"Hey buddy, what are you doing out here?" Sakura asked, trying to coax the boy out. Karin and Jugo watched with wide eyes. When Sakura looked up at them, she asked, "What is it?"

Karin answered, "Th-that's not a werewolf. That's a human boy…"

Sakura looked back at the boy, "Can you tell your name?"

"Notan," the boy answered timidly.

She smiled, feeling an instant connection with him. "Hi Notan, I'm Sakura. I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help get your back to your parents, okay?"

The boy just stared for a few moments and said, "I wan away."

"You ran away? Why?"

"Fwom the bad man."

"Bad man?"

At that moment, both Karin and Jugo turned their heads in alarm. They obviously heard or smelled something that Sakura couldn't. Karin was the one to say, "We need to go. Now. There's trouble coming."

Acting on instinct, Sakura scooped the boy in her arms and ran behind Karin, with Jugo right behind her. Notan clung to Sakura like his life depended on it. And she couldn't help but wonder if that was true.

They made it a few blocks before a large, menacing brown and gray wolf cut them off. Notan screamed in terror, obviously knowing who this terrible beast was.

Karin yelled, "Sakura, ride on my back. Jugo, you keep him off our tail."

With that, the red head quickly shifted into wolf form. Sakura didn't waste any time hopping onto her back. She squeezed her legs as tightly as possible to keep herself balanced, gripped Karin's fur tightly in one hand and Notan in the other.

She heard the terrible sound of wolves snarling, growling and fighting as her and Karin took off. For a long time - she didn't know how long exactly - they ran. They made it out of the city and a significant way into the woods when the unknown wolf caught up to them. Jugo was not far behind him.

Three things were quickly apparent:

One - this wolf could beat and outrun Jugo.

Two - he wanted Notan, and it obviously wasn't for anything good.

Three - Karin and Jugo would have to fight him together.

Karin not so graciously dropped Sakura and the boy and pointed her head repeatedly in the direction she obviously wanted Sakura to run in. Although Sakura couldn't communicate with her telepathically, she knew exactly what Karin was telling her to do. Run and don't look back.

She hated to leave, but something new was rising up in her as she held the terrified child in her arms. Something protective. Nothing else in the world mattered except keeping that boy safe.

So as Karin and Jugo began to circle the wolf menacingly, she did the only thing she could do. She ran.

And she ran. And ran. And ran.

Even when her legs threatened to give out, she kept running. Even when she could feel the poor boy had peed all over himself and her - she ran.

And she would've kept running if it hadn't been for the raven haired wolf that crossed her path.

Sakura froze in fear as the unfamiliar black wolf approached her slowly. She knew she didn't stand a chance of outrunning him. Her foot instinctively stepped back a little when he got closer. Notan whimpered and squeezed her tighter, fearing the fearsome animal approaching them.

The wolf sniffed them, and then did the last thing she expected - he bowed his head to her. She was bewildered. Then he tilted his head slightly and woofed, starling both humans.

When she didn't move, the wolf woofed again as he motioned his head backward.

"You… want us to climb on your back?" Sakura asked.

The wolf nodded his head once in affirmation.

"How do I know we can trust you?"

His ear twitched to one side, then his head followed suit for a few moments, as if he heard something off in the distance. Then he looked back to her and repeated his indication for her to get on his back.

"I guess we don't have much choice," Sakura muttered, feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place. She had no idea what happened to Karin and Suigetsu, and she had no chance of making sure Notan and her could survive out in the wilderness alone. So she reluctantly climbed on top of the strange wolf's back and held on tightly.

It was early evening, the sun just starting to go down, when the wolf brought them to a cave. Fortunately the boy slept nearly the entire time. The cave was well furnished, with unlit oil lanterns set up throughout.

Sakura waited in what appeared to be the makeshift living area, holding a sleeping Notan in her arms. She quickly realized that all of her limbs were exhausted and would likely be screaming at her in achy pain tomorrow. She sat down and rested her head against the wall, thankful for a place to rest.

But when the half dressed man appeared from behind the wall, she gasped and jumped to her feet, ready to run again.


	11. Chapter 11

The man who stood before Sakura had an uncanny resemblance to her mate. She knew who this was - the very person Sasuke hated with every fiber of his being. The one who killed his entire clan in cold blood.

"Itachi," Sakura muttered in fear.

"You have nothing to fear, human," Itachi said, his voice deep and oddly soothing. "I will not harm you."

"No… Sasuke… he…" words escaped her. This man had just rescued her. It immediately went against everything Sasuke had told her. Yet deep down, she felt a strange familial connection with Itachi.

Itachi walked around the cave, lighting all of the lamps to illuminate the space. This allowed Sakura to gaze upon his face. He looked kind… and worn out.

"You are my brother's mate," Itachi stated.

She simply nodded her confirmation.

"I can smell him all over you. I'd never forget his scent. What's your name?"

"Sakura."

"Sakura. There's a stream not far from here where you and the boy can wash up. But it's getting late, so for tonight it'll be best if you wear some of my clothes and you can wash in the morning."

Only then did Sakura remember that she and Notan were covered in his urine.

Then everything hit her all at once. Sasuke was gone. She had no way of contacting him. She had spent the entire day on the run from some unknown enemy. A little boy she didn't know was now completely dependent on her. And her body was wiped out.

She slunk back down to the ground in utter weariness of the days' events. She felt lost, without a clue as to what to do next. Her whole, which had already been flipped upside down, was turning all over again.

"Here," Itachi said, bringing her out of her thoughts. He directed her to a pile of clothes - a tshirt and sweatpants for her, and a pair of boxers for the child. There was also a set of thick blankets and animal skins to keep warm for the night.

Itachi left them so she could change them out of their soiled clothes. Sakura laid Notan on the futon and peeled out of her clothes and put on Itachi's. They were baggy, but they were clean. And it felt good to be clean.

Notan woke up as she took his clothes off. He started to cry, but she managed to quickly settle him down. She put the boxers on him, but it was no use while he was awake and standing, so she settled for wrapping him up in a blanket to cover his nakedness.

Itachi returned with some cooked fish and fresh berries for them to eat. Notan was frightened of him and quickly scurried into Sakura's arms.

"I won't hurt you, little one," Itachi said softly as he set the food before them.

Sakura was famished and was certain that Naton was too. She spent a few minutes coaxing him to eat before eating some food for herself.

When they were a little more relaxed, Sakura asked, "So you live here?"

"For now, yes."

"And Sasuke hasn't found you here?"

"No."

"Do you know that he's looking for you?"

"Yes."

Notan was now getting braver and scooting a little bit out of Sakura's arms to reach for more berries. She smiled, loving the sight of him filling his little tummy.

She looked back at Itachi and sighed in exasperation. "I don't understand. Sasuke says you killed your entire clan in cold blood. You seem to know that he's out for revenge but you don't seem to care. Instead you're here clothing me and feeding me…"

He remained silent despite her subtle indication for him to clear up her confusion.

So she said, "Itachi, what the hell is going on? How did you know to find me out there?"

"Our meeting is one of pure coincidence. I heard a chase, then smelled two humans and many werewolves. So I acted."

"You went out of your way to save two complete strangers?"

He stayed silent, but his firm countenance and intense stare was answer enough.

"Is it even true then? Did you kill your clan?"

That got his attention more than anything else. "No one has asked me that before."

"I'm asking now."

"...no. I was set up. I've been trying to look for whoever did, but have so far failed in my mission."

"Wow," she responded.

"Do you believe me so easily?"

"I probably shouldn't. But I do. I can't explain it… but it's like deep in my bones, I feel I can trust you."

"Tell me this, how did a human such as yourself come to be mated to my brother?"

Sakura gave him a brief description of how that came to be.

"And who is the child to you?"

"I rescued him this morning from the Rain Village. I don't know much, only that a very scary werewolf was after him. I had to get him out of there. A couple of friends fought him off so we could run…" her heart dropped. "I hope they're okay…"

"Some have a taste for human flesh. It sounds like you saved his life," Itachi informed her.

Sakura shuddered at the thought of what could have happened to the boy. And mourned over whatever probably did happen to his family.

Sasuke was beyond furious that he went on a wild goose chase with Suigetsu for nearly a week. They ended up finding an Akatsuki member by the name of Kisame. He put up a hell of a fight, but it turned out he and Itachi had parted ways years ago. In one fell swoop, Sasuke ended his life. He didn't have any remorse because he knew the man was guilty of things akin to terrorist acts. It only infuriated him to know his own flesh and blood would partner with someone so vile.

But when he got to Konoha and discovered Sakura never made it there, he lost his mind. He called up Jugo to learn that him and Karin had lost Sakura because of some rogue werewolf chasing after them, and something to do with a human child. He was losing his wits by then and couldn't process everything. He did catch that they searched for her for three days, but it was like she vanished without a trace. Her scent was nowhere to be found.

He threw his phone against the wall and let out a fearsome yell. Then he set out to scour every inch of forest between the Rain Village and Konoha in search of his mate.

During that same week, even though Sakura desperately missed Sasuke, she bonded more and more with Notan and Itachi. Everyday revolved around playing with the boy, helping him go potty out in the woods, bathing him in the afternoon while the sun was still up for the stream was cold. He still often had trouble with his "r's", so he would call her "Sakwa," which only endeared her to him more. Though she was going to try to search for his family when she got back to Konoha, she knew in her heart that they were dead. And she dreaded the idea of ever parting from him. A fierce maternal protectiveness was growing inside her.

Itachi was quickly becoming the brother she never had. And she wondered just how things would work with Sasuke. She knew he would hate learning about her being with Itachi for so long. Itachi knew it too.

He knew they would not be found because he had long ago learned to cover his scent - a secret thanks to his time spent with the Akatsuki. He had gone back to cover up Sakura's scent trail that first night. So they were truly isolated.

There was no way Itachi could take Sakura back to Konoha without being arrested or killed on sight. And it was definitely not safe for Sakura and Notan to travel the woods by themselves. So Itachi came up with a plan to covertly go to Konoha and leave breadcrumbs for someone there to follow to find Sakura. He was cunning enough to be able to pull that off. He would have to be gone a day or two, so he made sure to leave plenty of provisions for the other two.

Sakura was growing a little worried as the sun set on day three. And then a lot worried when day four rolled around. But before noon, Itachi came busting in the little home in wolf form before quickly shifting. He fell to his knees, breathing laboriously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and sticking around! I definitely lost my mojo by this chapter, so things are kinda rushed. But I figure rushed is better than just leaving the story unfinished. 


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